Drawn to the Rhythm formerly The Easiest Thing
by Saseko
Summary: *WARN:Hime-RAPE* OrihimeXUryuu, TatXChiz, About the origin & magnitude of Orihime's powers, she's a threat to the existence of everything. Starts out VERY dark but then goes all over the map, happy, sad, mysterious, serious, silly, sexy, fluffy, sweet
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

'_Text like this' _ thoughts and internal dialogue

Chapters will probably be short. It's easier for me that way.

Sorry for any bad writing, I don't have a/any beta/s.

Thank you for the reviews. Constructive feedback does motivate me to spend more time writing. Especially since this is the first story I've ever written.

Beta'ed after the chapter was originally posted by Aurorawhisperwind

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**Chapter Edit History**

01-24-2008 page layout changes

03-12-2008 page layout changes, minor grammar and spelling changes

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**Chapter Summary**

Prologue

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**PROLOGUE**

Inoue stared calmly right through Ulquiorra's piercing green eyes; she knew why he stood there in the door way. She knew what he was waiting to hear. '_I said good bye, I chose this_. _It's what I am now.'_

He waited patiently for the newly christened princess of Huecho Mundo to willfully say the words that would be her own final undoing. '_I've done so little. It is remarkable that someone with so much power can be so easily manipulated to self-destruct.' _He waited for her to deliver her own final self-inflicted wound; the final act that would severe her from her former self and acknowledge her new place in this universe.

'_Kurosaki-kun… I must reject Kurosaki-kun, Tatsuki-chan, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, flowers, cheese, ice cream with soy sauce and bean paste, Don Kanonji, handicrafts… Inoue Orihime… I must reject… I do reject.'_ With a soft steady voice that was void of all emotion, the shell of a girl who was once so trusting, eccentric full of life, bursting with happy thoughts, sweet smiles, and sunny days surrendered to a new destiny. She spoke directly to Ulqiorra and eerily at him, "My powers and my body are for Aizen-sama and his desire".

Ulqiorra was content with her decree. '_That will do for now. Aizen-sama will finish breaking any hidden spirit she might still have.' _ This was her new home, her pristine white prison to her.

He left her to her self-imposed desolation


	2. Chapter 1

**WARNING: **

**VIOLENT, SEMI GRAPHIC, AND MULTIPLE ORIHIME RAPES APPEAR IN THIS CHAPTER. THERE IS VERY STRONG LANGUAGE. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ IT, THERE IS A GENERAL CHAPTER SUMMARY AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER. THIS IS THE DARKEST CHAPTER OF THE STORY.**

_You've been warned and given a way around this chapter that will still allow you to continue with the rest of the story while avoiding the rape. I don't want flames for writing rape._

**---------------------------**

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**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

'_Text like this' _ thoughts and internal dialogue

Chapters will probably be short. It's easier for me that way.

Sorry for any bad writing, I don't have a/any beta/s.

Thank you for the reviews. Constructive feedback does motivate me to spend more time writing. Especially since this is the first story I've ever written.

Beta'ed after the chapter was originally posted by Aurorawhisperwind

1

1

**Chapter Edit History**

01-24-2008 Page layout changes, no content changes

03-12-2008 grammar and spelling changes

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**Chapter Summary**

Orihime has chosen to leave the life she knew behind and assist Aizen. Orihime realizes that she severely misunderstood Aizen's plans for her. Aizen gets a little scare of his own and learns that Orihime is far more valuable than he anticipated. Orihime is physically and sexually abused.

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**CHAPTER****1**

Ulquiorra politely escorted Orihime to a large white chamber. It was magnificent, it was beautiful, and it was regal. It was something the former Orihime might have enjoyed. The stadium shaped room was filled with lesser Arrancar that circled all around from above. The ten Espada sat a large table in the center of the room and stared at her with mock interest. A short distance from the head of the Espada's table sat the man himself, Aizen Sosuke, on his self-declared throne. There was no doubt that in Huecho Mundo it was Aizen's will that would be done. Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen sat on slightly smaller thrones positioned to the left and right of the man that chose to forsake their friends and the Soul Society for.

Orihime and Ulquiorra bowed respectfully before their master. Orihime could feel ten sets of eyes from the Espada table behind her searing into her back; she could hear their snickering and their petty bickering.

"Ulquiorra" was all Aizen said before the 4th Espada held out a small vile intended for Orihime.

Aizen shifted to a more comfortable position on his throne. He was a charming man. His face was gentle and always seemed warm and inviting. Orihime could easily understand how Hinamori Momo fell for him. "Please Inoue-san, drink." Aizen motioned his hands to further encourage her. "I insist Inoue-san. Would you deny me?"

"No Aizen-sama, it is not my place to question you or deny you." '_I said good bye, I chose this. Even if I did not choose this of my own free will, what choice do I have now?'_

Aizen was quite pleased with her words. He watched her submit without question to his simple demand to drink the contents of the bottle.

Aizen's eyes sparkled in anticipation, "Inoue-san, I am curious."

"Yes Aizen-sama."

"I've seen your ability to heal others; do you have the ability to heal yourself as well?"

"Hai, Aizen-sama; it works a little differently, but yes Aizen-sama, I can heal myself."

Orihime saw the briefest glimmer pass through Aizen's eyes; she thought she saw curiosity and malice.

"Inoue-san, show me your power. Heal yourself."

Confusion etched her face. '_Heal myself? I'm not hurt. If I say I'm not hurt will he hurt me on purpose? No he wouldn't do that! Would he? I've sworn to help him, why would he…'_

The spectators of the Las Noches Arrancar stadium erupted in cheers as they watched the beautiful young girl fall to the ground screaming, doubled over in pain, writhing in agony.

The pain was sudden, it was blinding, and it was coming from inside of her; everything around her erupted into a white blur. Orihime's eyes were clamped tightly shut as she recoiled in torment. Even through the booming laughter of her audience, Orihime could hear Aizen's serene voice, "Inoue-san, if you can heal yourself I suggest you do so. The poison won't kill you for a few days, but the pain will only grow until you heal or die."

Orihime was paralyzed in pain. She could not speak. It took every last bit of concentration for her to merely think of the healing incantation. '_Help! Soten Kisshun, please help me. Soten Kisshun!_' Some how that was enough. Never before had she merely willed her powers to life without the use of a verbal incantation.

She felt the pain begin to subside in direct contrast to the change in the reiatsu of the Arrancar stadium; her 'fans' seemed most enthralled with her suffering. As her suffering slowly extinguished, so did their enthusiasm. The air was heavy with the sickening reiatsu of the disappointed sadist that looked down on her. Orihime couldn't understand how it was possible for others to take so much pleasure in suffering. She would never understand cruelty. Aizen could manipulate and rip hope from a heart, but it would be impossible to separate the pacifist from the soul. Orihime would never understand cruelty. Even at the expense of her own life, she would never be capable of choosing to commit an act of cruelty.

The room turned to whispers of shock and awe when Orihime's formally mangled body hesitantly began to stand back up. Everything and everyone in the stadium was dumbstruck.

Orihime's thoughts were broken by the devil's haughty serene voice. "That was most impressive Inoue-san. Even the crowd agrees. No Human, Hollow, Arrancar, Quincy, or Shinigami has ever recovered from that poison."

"Why Aizen-sama? Why did you do that to me? I've left everything I cared about and I've chosen to be here with you, to help you. Why hurt me? Why Aizen-sama? Why?" Inoue tried to be strong but she couldn't, tears streamed freely down her face. She'd never known such cruelty and humiliation. "Why?"

"It was necessary Inoue-san. It was necessary to know if someone as beautiful as you," Aizen's eyes lustfully combed her body, "was capable of such a feat. I must say, I am most pleased. Aren't you happy to have pleased me Inoue-san?"

Orihime's sobs remained endless. _'Who would do such a thing? He has no remorse… none at all. Why should I be pleased?' _"Why? Why is it so important for you to know if I can heal myself?"

"Your powers will serve the cause in many ways Inoue-san, but they are not all you have to offer my army. I expect to get the most from everyone who serves me, and it can't be helped, sometimes there is sacrifice." Aizen took a moment to revel in her innocence, her natural beauty, her chaste demeanor and her delicate and powerful reiatsu. "You know, you're a very pretty girl Inoue-san. I'm sure you hear that all the time though."

"I don't understand Aizen-sama." Orihime felt powerless and afraid. She was blinded by the flow of tears that incessantly assaulted her eyes.

"Yes, I suppose I am being a bit vague. I'll arrange a demonstration with Grimmjow. Will that help Inoue-san? Would you like that?"

"I… I suppose." The hairs on the back of Orihime's neck came to life. There was something about his offer that sent a shiver down her spine, she felt restless, uneasy, and completely trapped.

'_Again, he did it again that look-that reiatsu. It's the same, the same… from right before he had me drink the potion!'_ Fear crept through her bones. "Aizen-sama, could you just explain it another way? I don't really need a uh… I don't need Grimmjow-san to demonstrate."

"I insist now Inoue-san. " Aizen shifted his lazy gaze to Grimmjow. "Grimmjow, please help Inoue-san understand the other ways she is valuable. After all, she will serve the whims of the Espada in my absence. Please, demonstrate why her to self heal are so valuable."

Grimmjow flashed his handsome wicked grin, a sinister look danced behind his eyes. "Yes Aizen-sama. Do you wish the demonstration to be held here and now?"

"Yes Grimmjow that seems the most alluring option. It would assure that no one has the wrong idea regarding the role of our newest and most delectable comrade."

At that moment Orihime felt Ulquiorra leave her side, in a flash Grimmjow hovered over her, his mouth a mere inch from her ear. She could feel his hot breath against her neck. His reiatsu was ominous and his voice, his words they were… they were terrifying. "You're a sweet little thing, aren't you; tell me now, is I true that such a gorgeous girl as yourself who has such an incredible rack as this" Grimmjow gently caressed Orihime's right nipple with the back of his fingers "is actually still a virgin?"

'_Virgin? Why does he want to know if I'm a virgin?'_ Orihime was again paralyzed in fear. Somewhere deep inside she knew exactly what he meant. She knew exactly what he wanted of from her_. 'No, please no it can't be!' _ "Wha… um… what?"

"Grimmjow, get on with it. As interesting as this is sure to be, I have other matters to attend to."

The handsome 6th Espada turned to face his master, "Hai Aizen-sama, as you wish."

In a flash, Orihime saw stars. She was brought out of her reverent stupor of denial by thousands of bright stars. She was flying, and then she wasn't. She landed face down on the Espada table. She groaned, her face stung, her tongue tasted of warm metal, and there were laughing faces all around her. Everywhere she looked there were faces of malcontent strangers laughing at her. Eyes full of mirth and malice surrounded her in vertigo. They cheered… _'why are they cheering? What just happened? Why do I feel like I've been hit by a truck?'_

… "Stunning control Grimmjow…"

… "Yes, yes that was a most excellent and well executed backhand. You didn't break a single bone in her weak human body, marvelous control!!"

… "Right on target too Grimmjow, the bitch landed smack in the middle of the table."

Grimmjow bowed and accepted the praise from his fellow Espada. He was particularly pleased with how well he backhanded the little bitch himself. Grimmjow grinned wickedly from fang to fang as he raised his hands in the air to hush the ovations of his adoring fans. "If you liked the opening act" he purred while non-chillingly dusting a few pieces of imaginary lint off of his shoulders, "you'll positively love the main attraction." He felt the heat of anticipation run through him, the hotter he got the tighter his pants became. _'This will be delicious; to fuck this hot little piece of ass in from of everyone! To mess her pretty little body up anyway I want.'_ His own thoughts were causing him too much excitement, _'Aye, I better start the show before I loose my load in my pants!'_ He catapulted himself to the table and grabbed a hold of one of Orihime's ankle to drag her to center stage, the edge of the Espada table.

Orihime still could not accept what was happening to her. She knew she was prone to strange and intense day dreams, but never anything like this. She also knew that she must have just hit her head hard; it hurt _'am I hallucinating? Do I have a concussion?'_ Everything around her was so surreal, it couldn't actually be happening. Acts of cruelty like this weren't ever real, right? They were just ideas, things of the imagination that filled up books… right?

She felt something cold and unrelenting clamp down her ankle. Then, with a complete lack of tenderness and with an utter and complete void of compassion, she felt her body being forcefully dragged across the table.

The world around Orihime began to come into focus. When she was no longer being pulled, when she could clearly see the pleasure that each and every Espada was experiencing over her torment, when she could see the hungry merciless eyes of the Arrancar in the stadium lusting after her anguish, when she was she realized it wouldn't be just more pain but shame and humiliation, Orihime knew she would never be the same again.

… "Get on with it Grimmjow, fuck her already!"

… "Not too much though, you better not fucking ruin her for the rest of us."

… "This shows over-rated; wake me when she screams in despair."

Orihime looked over her shoulder, she felt like she had dysphasia. She could barely think straight, she couldn't speak, all she wanted to do was scream for Kurosaki-kun to save her but she couldn't. She was bent over the table and the motion of being towed across the table had caused her silky white Arrancar uniform to bunch up over her hips. Ulquiorra hadn't given her any undergarments to wear with her new wardrobe. With the exception of her boots, Orihime was bare assed and exposed to a stadium full of Arrancar. She was the main attraction. She was innocent, helpless, and mortified!

Orihime yelped in pain when Grimmjow painfully grabbed her hair by the roots and twisted her head back, too far back, so that she could look at him "Any last words pretty little saseko _[loose woman, whore?"_ Orihime froze in terror again, Grimmjow stood naked behind her, caressing his cock.

"Ahh yes, you're speechless; I know, I know I am an impressive specimen! Well then little saseko, if you have nothing to say before I become your first." He leaned in close to listen whisper into her ear, Orihime felt like the full weight of his malcontented reiatsu was pressing down on her, it was so powerful and so vile she could barely breathe. The expression on his face darkened as he breathed heavily into her neck, "I'll let you know something about myself… before we become intimate. My name is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques; I am the 6th, the Sexta Espada. You did an excellent job restoring my arm; I'd like to show my gratitude. But first, I realllly love the sound of tearing flesh!"

Orihime's eyes went with desperate fear as he sensually spoke those last words breathily into her neck. There was nothing she could do, his reiatsu held her down, she felt like a two ton elephant was using her as bench. Grimmjow wasted no time, and in one thrust he rammed the full length of his cock inside her un-stretched, un-lubricated, virgin ass. The sounds of Orihime's screams were so loud they permeated through the walls of the stadium. Everyone Las Noches heard her screams of pure agony. Everyone in Las Noches felt the enormously powerful spike in her unique reiatsu.

Aizen shifted slightly on his throne. His face did not betray him. He seemed just as calm and mildly amused as always even though his mind was riddled with surprise. Surprise that quickly turned to fear, the kind of fear one feels when they realize they have made a grave miscalculation and underestimated an opponent. _'Impossible, that girl's reiatsu; no one person can be that powerful. You'd have to be the right hand of God, the very heart of the universe, to harbor that much power!!!'_ In that moment, Aizen was scared. _'I must control her; she must never go against me. If she ever learned to control even a fraction of her power, she could destroy me and everything I've worked for in her sleep!' _

For a moment everything in Las Noches stopped. Weaker Arrancar we're brought to their knees by the power that burst from the pretty young human girl being raped by the 6th Espada. All over the premises the fighting came to a temporary screeching halt as Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad, Renji, and Rukia stood frozen. They'd never felt such power or heard such desolate cries of torment and suffering. Each one of them would have traded places with her if they could have. Each one of them knew that Inoue Orihime was special; she was the physical embodiment of all the best things in life that they fought to protect. Inoue Orihime should never know pain.

The Arrancar elite heard the flesh of the young girl's body as Grimmjow's pride ripped her apart from the inside. The Espada cheered, Ichimaru Gin and Kumara Tosen winced at the sound while Aizen seemed mildly amused at the act itself, but secretly swore that she must be broken, completely broken, as soon as possible. '_That woman scares me.' _

Orihime lay listless and crying as blood flowed freely down her legs. Even breathing caused unbearable pain. Still, she could not stop her body from the jerky movements caused her hopeless sobs. It seemed pain was inevitable.

Grimmjow smacked her ass hard and pulled out. He was pleased with his performance. A sloppy and loud 'pop' was heard when he withdrew. That disgusting sound caused by the combination of the airtight vacuum and the blood in her anus was something she believed she'd never be able to forget. As soon as he pulled out the trapped blood gushed out. Yes, yes Grimmjow was so pleased with his work that he encouraged and ushered the other Espada to come see the huge gapping hole he left in his wake.

Orihime was in is too much pain to focus on anything else. Or rather, she chose to focus only on the pain and nothing else. She wasn't sure she could survive both the pain and the degrading humiliation that came with being rapped in a stadium filled with 1000's of spectators who rejoiced in her agony.

There was only a moment of reprieve, if it was even possible to consider being bent half naked over a table sobbing with blood running down your legs amidst an audience of thousands, before Orihime felt Grimmjow spear into her once more. Again, she screamed! She didn't know if this time it just hurt far less than last time, if it hurt less because she was expecting it, or maybe it hurt less because her mind and body were going numb. Even though Grimmjow's pride was once again ripping her from the inside out, she didn't scream as loudly as she did last time. She could feel the Espada behind her as he rocked his hips back and forth sliding in and out virgin pussy. It took every ounce of control he had not to spill himself inside of her when he tore through her maiden barrier.

"Finish up Grimmjow. You've had your fun."

"Right away Aizen-sama!" Grimmjow voiced enthusiastically. A few more thrusts into her cunt and Orihime felt a thick warm liquid burst into her womb.

'_He came, he came inside me!' _Sobs racked her body once more. She couldn't hold back the tears no matter how badly the movement hurt her. She cried into the table. She didn't want to see the crowd that she was so shamefully on display for. She didn't want them to see her either. Her face was the only thing she had the power to hide from them.

"Ulquiorra, take her back to her room. I'll await your final report."

"Hai, Aizen-sama."

Orihime wasn't certain if it was just her or the lights in the Arrancar stadium that were fading.

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Orihime's eyes slowly fluttered awake, she was surrounded by the walls of her pristine white prison. Someone was touching her, it felt nice. It was a soft touch, and it made her smile with half-lidded eyes, "Kurosaki-kun?" An unwanted and unwelcome voice answered.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is not with you." What she felt was the gentle touch of Ulquiorra running a cool cloth over her face. 'Was it all just a dream?'

"You are hurt, you must heal." Spoke a cold and unemotional voice.

As she tried to sit up a sharp pain ripped through her body. In that instant she realized that her nightmare was indeed her reality. She was here in Hueco Mundo. She had left her friends behind. She swore herself to Aizen who had not only poisoned her with some unfathomably painful elixir, but he had also staged her brutal and very public rape. Orihime's entire body began to throb. All she could do was cry.

She felt Ulquiorra gently slip off her boots and begin to clean the dried blood from her legs. Immediately she shot up and coward in the corner. "Don't touch me! Why are you here? What does Aizen-sama want from me Ulquiorra?" Orihime felt the large walls of the room begin to close in on her.

"Aizen-sama has placed you in my custody. I will never be far. Aizen-sama expects the same from you as he does every member of his army." The 4th Espada spoke both dutifully and blandly.

The green-eyed sad looking Espada sat at the edge of the bed and stared vacantly at the frightened abused girl. He made it clear that the next move was hers and that he would simply wait patiently for her to act so that he in turn could react.

"Does he expect me to heal his soldiers?"

"Yes."

"And my body…Grimmjow…"

"Aizen-sama expects you to both heal and sooth the Espada. If may calm you to know that we are each different, we are not all as unrefined and brutal as Grimmjow." He watched the frightened girl cringe before continuing to speak matter-of-factly. "You will cater to any and all Espada needs and desires.

Your ability to heal yourself guarantees that you will be constantly ready to receive any one of us at any time regardless of what it done to you."

Orihime winced; she didn't think such cruel and uncompassionate sentences could be mouthed. "But… but you are Espada Ulquiorra." _'Does he blink? Stop starring at me!'_

"I am."

"Will you…" Orihime swallowed hard and secretly hoped against hope that he would be her friend. She desperately needed a friend right now. "Will you… also… I mean… like Grimmjow… me?"

"Yes, it is expected. You are both a healer and a concubine for the Espada. You exist for all ten of us, and Aizen-sama himself if he so desires." Ulquiorra moved smoothly along the bed to sit along side his ward; he gently wiped the tears from her face. "This is your purpose in life now; I am here to help you accept it and adjust to it. You cannot run or hide from it." He softly brushed his thumb across her lips. "Now, heal, let me bring your body the pleasure that Grimmjow could not."

Inoue pushed his hand away from her, she felt like she was going to throw up. "NO! I won't let you rape me too!"

"The choice is no longer yours; you've already chosen to leave your destiny in Aizen-sama's hands. I do not wish to hurt or force you, but I will be with you. It is expected. Let me do what I can to help ease your transition into your new life."

'_How can someone be that nonchalant when looking someone in the eye to tell them he's about to rape them? Still, he's the only one who's talks to me here. How can his touch feel so gentle when his eyes and heart are so void? Is this my life, I'm an Espada whore now? They can beat me and hurt me all they want with no consequences and think I'll just heal myself and it's all better? Life as an Espada nurse, punching bag, and whore –or- death, is that the only choice I have left?'_

"I must insist that you heal. I do not wish to hurt you but if you do not heal it will be unavoidable. If you heal, I promise you will feel no physical pain from my ministrations." Ulquiorra leaned in and slowly began undoing her clothing. "Your time is up; heal now for your own sake. Either way, this will happen."

'_He's right, I've lost this battle. He's going to do what he wants to me anyway. The least I can do is heal myself so there is no added pain.'_ "WAIT… please wait! I'll heal." _'Oh, god! I'm going to be raped again.'_

Ulquiorra watched patiently. _'She heals herself and she cries. I will not harm your body girl. I will make it crave sex. I'll be soft, sweet, and gentle. Even if you do not wish it, my touch and my thrusts will bring you pleasures you've never dreamt before. You'll detest yourself for It for enjoying what I can do to you. I'll destroy your will, bury your resolve, but I will not harm your beautiful body. Let the others do that. You will ache to be touched. You will crave humiliation to intensify your orgasms. This will please Aizen-sama greatly.'_

Orihime finished healing, she could not look her soon to be rapist in his cold green eyes. Softly she made one last stand…"I don't want this. Please Ulquiorra."

"The choice is no longer yours, it will happen." He stood and extended his deceitfully warm hand. "Come, I will bathe you. Grimmjow was sloppy."

She took his hand and softly cried as he led her into her disgustingly tainted pristine white bathing chamber. Orihime had always liked the color white. It was soft, pretty, pure, and light. Now white was hard, ugly, vile and heavy.

The next few days were a vacant blur. Orihime wasn't even sure if she slept at all. She felt as though Aizen was purposely depriving her of rest. That on top of the endless emotional manipulations, physical abuse and sexual debasement become too much. One after another someone would occupy her. Soon the faces and the feelings or pleasure and pain all blended together. What was the point in keeping up with the faces, she didn't want to know any of them. She didn't want to remember them or how they made her feel. It was this detachment, Orihime's exceptional talent for day dreaming that seemed to hinder the progress of Aizen and Ulquiorra's plans. True, they were beginning to see signs that her body craved attention of any kind. She would writhe in ecstasy at physical contact, it didn't matter if she was being fucked, bitten, stabbed, or punched. It simply didn't matter how she was touched her body seemed to enjoy it. Though Aizen was well aware that was most likely the case because her mind seemed to disassociate. Yet, she still did whatever she was told.

Grimmjow quickly grew frustrated with her; he'd even lost interest in her completely. He said he had no desire to fuck a trained dog. He was pretty pissed when she spread her legs for him before he even asked her to. He was a pure sadist, and if she wasn't suffering, he couldn't enjoy her.

It was obvious that her voluptuous nubile body was responding well to her physical conditioning, but no matter what they did they couldn't seem to reach or even erode her mind. Orihime had almost completely

gotten lost in her other world, the happy places in her head. Other than following commands and orders there was little sign that she was even aware of the ghastly world around her.

Aizen stood at the back of the room with Ulquiorra faithfully at his side. Together they watched as Espada 10, Yammy, and Espada 9, Aaroniero, 'played' with Orihime. "This will not do Ulquiorra."

"I understand Aizen-sama." He did understand. It wasn't enough that she was an excellent stress relieving toy for the Espada, it wasn't enough that she repeatedly healed herself and others on command. If Aizen could not reach and control her very soul then she was a liability. One who could not be trusted or relied upon from one second to the next. He needed her undying loyalty and devotion to ensure her place by his side.

"Ulquiorra, how do you propose we fix this?"

"The Kurosaki boy Aizen-sama, I believe he's the key. Whatever she's found to hold onto, he seems to be the biggest part of her resolve. Destroy what she sees in him, she'll have nothing left to escape to in her mind."

"Excellent Ulquiorra. Hmmm, Kurosaki Ichigo, that's the Vizard boy that's here in Los Noches right now?"

"Yes, Aizem-sama. He was the one person she chose to say goodbye to. She seems to be in love with him.

"Very well, I'll make this quick. Ulquiorra, take for other Espada and capture the Vizard. Separate him from his zanpakuto first and bring the sword to me. The 5 of you will keep constant guard over him. Do not kill him but torture him until he is so weak that his hollow is in complete control. He must retain his hollow form, Ulquiorra."

"Yes Aizen-sama, what then?"

"Bring him to the stadium. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. I think it's time for a reunion."

An hour later Hollow-Ichigo was led into the stadium by his relentless Espada captors who continued to taunt and torture him with exceptional amusement. Hollow-Ichigo's eyes quickly fell on Aizen as he sat regally upon his throne; there was clearly someone on their knees between his legs hard at work as he watched Aizen's robes bob up and down. Two dainty and feminine feet poked out from the bottom.

"Whoo Hooo man! How do I get in on some of that action?" Hollow-Ichigo's loud high pitched creepy laugh filled the room. Then his face turned mockingly-serious, "serious man, Ichigo never lets me have any fun. How bout setting that pop tart on me for awhile?"

"Hrmmmmmmmm…" Aizen feigned ecstasy. "She quite good at what she does, why should I pull her off my cock for you?"

"Awe, don't be cruel. Watching you two's already got me all fucking hard. Besides 'Big Boy' I'm your guest ain't I? So where're your fucking manners?" The Espada felt this was once more a perfect opportunity to beat their guest of honor into the ground.

Aizen lightly tapped the girl under his robes signaling to her that she should stop before he stood up. "You are absolutely right my young friend. After all, she is the house pet, we've all had her. She'll spread her legs for anyone. Please, accept my humblest apologies for being an ungracious host. I'll loan her to you, she can help with that special problem of yours. "Aizen pointed at the tent between Hollow-Ichigo's his legs and quietly instructed the beauty emerging from his robes to go lay down on the table and tend to the house guest of honor.

"OH MAN YOU FUCKING ROCK! She's fucking hot too. Sayyyy…she kinda looks likes Ichigo's dimwit pop tart of a friend too. She's got a loaded rack just like that bitch does." His creepy laugh filled the air once again as he dropped his robes and positioned himself between Orihime's legs at her entrance. He began to slide into her tight, wet, warmth. His hands reached out to knead her well-developed luscious breasts.

"Oh god yes. She's so warm, so wet." The words sensually rolled of his tongue. His eyes began to roll back in ecstasy while she slowly savored the feeling of being sheathed inside her and steadily pumped in and out of her slit.

Once again Orihime heard Aizen's voice. "Look a him Inoue-san, look up. Who is that young man fucking you right now, is it Kurosaki Ichigo?" That's all it took to break her trance.

She felt her back scrape up and down against the table, his hands clamped down too roughly on her breasts; she could feel him plowing in and out of her pussy with little regard to how she felt, but it was Kurosaki-kun so she chose delusion and ignored he unpleasant sensations.

"Bitch ain't that tight though, what the hell have you been doing with her? Heh, no worries man. She's still good pussy. Beggars can't be choosers, right!"

'_I've had this dream before, Kurosaki-kun inside me.' _She reached out to tentatively touch his face, "Kurosaki-kun? Kurosaki-kun, please slow down, that hurts." She bit back a gasp when his eyes flew open; black eyes with yellow pupils starred back her from above.

"Sorry bitch, Ichigo isn't home!" The speed and force he used to drive into her seemed to double once he realized this was Ichigo's dimwit, pop tart, huge racked little bitch of a friend. It didn't bother him at all that she began to squirm and cry or that his motions were causing her cuts in her back. He hated Ichigo and would do anything he could to hurt him; to bring him down. He simply couldn't resist fucking with someone Ichigo cared about. He despised Ichigo. "Man Ichigo has some hot fucking friends, do you know he masturbates to you. He has for years. Yeah really, he's a sick little fuck. His favorite fantasy is one where he skull fucks you then takes you by force from behind before running home to cry in Rukia's arms."

"YOU'RE LYING… where is Kurosaki-kun? STOP! Please stop you're hurting me. Please stop Kurosaki-kun… please... please. Why are you hurting me?" She reached out grab hold of his wrists in desperation. Her voice fell to a whisper, she felt there were flood gates behind her eyes ready to break, all she could see and all she could feel in her current state of mind was the boy she loved raping her. Her body slide back and forth against the table, "Kurosaki-kun no… Kurosaki-kun I love you… Kurosaki-kun you're hurting me."

"You're even hotter when you're being all bitchy and squirmy. Damn you're one hell of a whore." He raised his hand high back handed her, just like Grimmjow. "Hot damn that feels great!"

"Please stop"… she licked the blood dripping from her busted lip. "Please no… stop… Kurosaki-kun why?"

"Oh god, you're so fucking hot! I gotta get me a little whore like you. You think Ichigo will share. He's a fucking tard for loving that snotty Shinigami bitch with the renegade bangs, but least I agree with him about you, he thinks you'd be a great fuck. Man is that boy ever right!!!"

"Kurosaki-kun…." Her body went limp and her world went black.

"Hah hah, I fucked the bitch unconscious, let's see Ichigo top that! Ohh yeah… oh yeahh…I'm gonna come. You watching this King, you wake up yet? Did you watch me fuck your little friend? Man she is she hot!"

'…Subconsciously buried Ichigo: YOU BASTARD LET ME THE FUCK OUT! GET AWAY FROM HER… ORIHIME!!!!!!!'

"Calm down Kingy, I'm not a bad man. Here, I'll let you have the best part… finish on up. Come inside that sweet little pussy of hers."

Eyes faded from black to white and pupils from yellow to brown, Hollow-Ichigo disappeared leaving Ichigo to explode with an intense orgasm and fill up the womb of his childhood friend. _'Did I just rape Orihime? THAT BASTARD!'_

Ichigo slowly pulled out of Orihime and fell to his knees. This was a bad dream. It didn't really happen. He didn't just rape his friend, the sweetest gentlest person he knows. He didn't just rape the very person he came to Hueco Mundo to save. Did he? He was lost inside himself. 'Did I just rape Inoue-san?' Aizen and the Espada didn't matter right now, he wasn't even aware they were there. Shock was creeping over him. He just watched his friend get raped with his own body, and he was there himself to finish the job.

"Yes Ulquiorra, I think that will work well, perfectly in fact. What else does she have to hold onto now?"

"Yes, Aizen-sama, I think that was all we needed. Shall I return the Vizard to his confinement?"

"Please do Ulquiorra; he's of no use any longer. Have the Espada kill him."

"It will be done Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra motioned to Yammy who happily sent a single swift blow to the sulking Vizard's head, promptly escorting him to join his female friend in the darkness of unconscious oblivion.

**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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**CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY (no rape details)**

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_SHORT SHORT VERSION: Orihime is VASTLY abused (general idea, kill the light by smothering it with dark). Aizen wishes to break her mind, spirit, heart, and body so that her powers will always be at his_ disposal and he won't have to worry about her ever defecting. He is scared of the power she harbors and even refers to her as the "Right Hand of God" and the "Heart of the Universe."

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This chapter starts right after the prologue. Orihime does not know what her role is in Aizen's master plan. She assumes that her purpose is merely to heal his wounded soldiers. She expects to live a solitary and lonely life.

Orihime will ultimately accept any destiny Aizen chooses for her because she feels that she is alone and that she made the choice to abandon her friends and the life she knew before Hueco Mundo to be with him of her own free will.

Aizen is curious to know if Orihime can heal herself. He puts this to a test by putting her on public display in a stadium full of Arrancar, poisoning her, and demanding that she heal herself. He is pleased when she heals. The Arrancar are pleased with their entertainment.

Orihime cannot understand why Aizen poisoned her when she thought she was an ally there to help.

She spends this entire chapter trying to understand why people want to hurt her and how it's even possible that such cruelty exists. She is even more baffled by the sadistic natures of the Arrancar; they truly enjoy inflicting pain and watching others suffer.

Aizen calls upon Grimmjow to help Orihime understand why her ability to self heal is so important. As part of the nights entertainment, Grimmjow rapes Orihime in front of everyone.

While Grimmjow has his way with Orihime she lets out an enormous and very unexpected burst of her reiatsu. Power she isn't even aware of; power Aizen did not expect her to have.

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Aizen shifted slightly on his throne. His face did not betray him. He seemed just as calm and mildly amused as always even though his mind was riddled with surprise. Surprise that quickly turned to fear, the kind of fear one feels when they realize they have made a grave miscalculation and underestimated an opponent. _'Impossible, that girl's reiatsu; no one person can be that powerful. You'd have to be the right hand of God, the very heart of the universe, to harbor that much power!!!'_ In that moment, Aizen was scared. _'I must control her; she must never go against me. If she ever learned to control even a fraction of her power, she could destroy me and everything I've worked for in her sleep!' _

For a moment everything in Las Noches stopped. Weaker Arrancar we're brought to their knees by the power that burst from the pretty young human girl clipped out . All over the premises the fighting came to a temporary screeching halt as Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad, Renji, and Rukia stood frozen. They'd never felt such power clipped out . Each one of them would have traded places with her if they could have. Each one of them knew that Inoue Orihime was special; she was the physical embodiment of all the best things in life that they fought to protect. Inoue Orihime should never know pain.

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Orihime wakes up in her room after passing out. Ulquiorra then explains Orihime's purpose:

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"You will cater to any and all Espada needs and desires. Your ability to heal yourself guarantees that you will be constantly ready to receive any one of us at any time regardless of what it done to you."

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In other words, she is the healer, punching bag, and whore for the ten Espada, and of course those of higher rank. Since Orihime can heal herself, the Espada are free to do to her as they please.

Despite depriving Orihime of sleep on top of all of her other abuses, Aizen's attempts to break Orihime through torture are not entirely successful, he cannot seem to reach her mind. Orihime tends to disassociate much of the time to a happier place in her head thanks to her exceptional ability to day dream. Aizen and Ulquiorra conclude that Ichigo is the key since he was the one person she chose to say goodbye to. They decide that in order to break her mind they have to destroy whatever powerful thing she is escaping to inside of her head.

Five Espada find Ichigo on Las Noches grounds. They capture him and torture him until he is so week that his hollow form has complete control. They 'offer' up Orihime's 'services' to Hollow-Ichigo who accepts gladly. He complains that Ichigo never lets him have any fun. He harbors a great deal of hate for Ichigo. He is very excited that he'll get to hurt Ichigo by hurting one of his friends. Orihime's deteriorated mental state leads her to believe that Ichigo has betrayed her by raping her, and then passes out. Hollow-Ichigo, in an attempt to inflict cruel mental anguish on the real Ichigo, 'graciously allows' Ichigo to reclaim his body just as he achieves orgasm.

Ichigo falls to his knees too distraught over what he has done to Orihime to be aware of his surroundings. The Espada knock him unconscious.

Aizen and Ulquiorra are quite please with themselves. They believe they've shattered the last bit of control, free will, and sanity that Orihime had by thoroughly destroying her image of Ichigo.

**END OF CHAPTER**** SUMMARY**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

'_Text like this' _ thoughts and internal dialogue

Chapters will probably be short. It's easier for me that way.

Sorry for any bad writing.

Thank you for the reviews. Constructive feedback does motivate me to spend more time writing. Especially since this is the first story I've ever written.

Beta'ed after the chapter was originally posted by Aurorawhisperwind

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**Chapter Edit History**

01-24-2008 Page layout changes, no content changes

03-12-2208 grammar and spelling adjustments

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**Chapter Summary**

Orihime has been rescued, but the very same dissociative measures that protected her in Las Noches are making it hard for her to accept reality. Orihime discovers a very unexpected and oddly manifested source of comfort.

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**CHAPTER****2**

Orihime felt so comfortable and warm. She recognized this feeling, it was the warm fuzzy feeling she usually had when she was floating between the spellbinding world of dreams and the reality of alertness. It was a rare and special place she loved to travel to but she could only get there when she was able to wake up slowly, naturally. It was a magical place where she was just barely conscious enough to be able to create and control her own vivid dreams and conjure up her delightful fantasies of coconut and wasabi pancakes. Dreams so rich she could remember them with absolute clarity when she woke. _'I don't want to wake up; if I wake up they'll hurt me more.' _ Orihime decided she'd stay in her drowsy purgatory for as long as her cruel and relentless captors would allow.

The sleepy girl heard a sneeze and the frenzied ruffling of books and papers off to her side_. 'huh… Espada don't sneeze. I don't even know if they can read and write. I've never even seen them with books or paper.' _ Her curiosity bested her as she gambled away her moment of serenity. If they caught her peaking they would know she had woken up and they'd surely have something 'special' in mind for her to do. Still, the sounds she heard were too odd to completely ignore. She had to at least take a quick peek. Immediately all tension ebbed from the sleepy girl as she opened single eye open, then two. She found her head pressed against a soft cotton pillow, her body wrapped comfortably in a blanket where she rested atop a tatami mat in the middle of a near empty and windowless room in the Urahara Shop. The silent girl watched a mildly frustrated dreamy Ishida-kun as he sat on the floor in the corner against the wall shuffling though the pile of books, papers, and writing utensils that surrounded him. She watched a small vein in his forehead as it slowly began to make itself known as his irritation with himself and the mess around him grew. His glasses rested just below the bridge of his nose, his jaw was clamped hard on around a yellow highlighter, and his eyes comically blazed with the same intensity she had seen in him when he fought hollows. He was very serious and grouchy looking. She tried to imitate the adorably overly perplexed looks on his face. The princess giggled softly to herself while watching the flustered boy. _'Dreamy Ishida-kun's really cute. I wonder why I never noticed before. He's funny too when he thinks no ones watching.'_

A mild grunt of frustration escaped the annoyed Quincy's clenched jaws, "Where is that damn highlighter?!" He was reading a book and really needed to highlight something. He was covered in books and was slowly going insane from cabin fever. He briefly convinced himself that gremlins were real, that they had stolen his much needed highlighter, and that they should be proclaimed public nuisance number one; next to the clingy and ever whining Keigo and shamelessly groping Chizuru. The boy was convinced that his ever worsening cabin fever was slowly causing him to go demented as he steadfastly and so absurdly continued to devote an exhaustive amount of energy to the mysterious missing highlighter. He was so enraptured in his farce of a personal mission that he was completely unaware that the girl who had been sleeping in the center of the room for the past couple of weeks was watching him intently with adoring amusement.

'_Huh, I wonder if dreamy Ishida-kun is so worked up because he's looking for the highlighter that's in his mouth. He's funny! '_ She couldn't hold back any longer. She giggled just loud enough for the distressed Quincy boy to instantly cease his frantic mini-quest.

The giggling girl spoke softly though her amusement was quite evident, "Are you looking for the highlighter in your mouth dreamy Ishida-kun?"

"Uh…" Ishida took the yellow highlighter out of his mouth and blushed slightly when he realized how silly he must have looked. "Uh… yeah Inoue-san. Arigato, that was exactly what I was looking for." He slide his glasses back in place, _'she's awake! Finally she's awake… uhh, what do I do now? Wait, did she just call me dreamy Ishida-kun?' _

"Inoue-san, you're awake! I'm so happy!" It was the first time she'd even seen him smile from joy. He lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head, "but, uh… why did you just call me dreamy Ishida-kun?" He watched as a myriad of thoughts seem to run through her. She was always absolutely adorable; the way her eyes lit at the exact moment she'd reached a conclusion of sorts, this time was no different.

Orihime sat up and wrapped herself snuggly in the blanket that she had apparently slept under. The expression of amusement that masked her face a moment ago was now a mixture of sympathy and tenderness as she seemed to search for the right words to answer his question; why did she call him dreamy Ishida-kun? She looked as if she was getting ready to console a child after telling them that their beloved pet had just died. As he often did, Ishida was clueless as to what brought such a look about, rather than tirelessly guess he'd just sit and wait for her explanation. He was well aware that when Orihime would come to a grand conclusion, sometimes as a result of her less than keen woman's intuition, it was usually way off the mark, like that time in the Soul Society when she decided that he was in love with Rukia. Way-way off the mark!

Her voice was cautious and timid, "I don't know how to tell you this dreamy Ishida-kun…" He watched as she took a few deep breathes, "you aren't re… well, I mean you aren't really re… you're not real dreamy Ishida-kun!" With an inflated sense of self pride she finally managed to get her words out but in true Hime-form she somehow felt that the words she had just spoken and put so much effort into relaying were a more that adequate enough explanation for anyone to completely understand her train of thought. She was once again way off the mark.

The violet eyed Quincy starred at her with intense endearment. Every part of him wanted to cover the distance between them and hug her fiercely. He barely maintained his composure when he'd discovered that she'd finally woken up, but for some reason watching her and hearing a perfectly executed 'Inoue Orihime moment of enlightenment' nearly broke his resolve. Bolts of excited electricity shot through his body. _'She's home, she's really back! She's still in there! After everything they did to her, Orihime is still there!' _

The sweet feminine voice that haunted his every dream called out to him, "Dreamy Ishida-kun are you ok? I'm sorry I didn't want to upset you. Even though you're not real I'm still so very happy you're here with me. I've missed you dreamy Ishida-kun."

Her voice pulled him back into the moment, "I'm sorry Inoue-san, I don't understand." Unable to resist such a witty and ironic opportunity, "I' honored to be the man you've chosen to dream about," he mentally slapped himself for that childish moment of weakness but the setup was just too perfect, "but how am I not real?"

"I'm dreaming, so you're the Ishida-kun of my dreams, which makes you dreamy Ishida-kun!" The explanation was spoken with perfectly sincere resolution and yet it was so completely in accurate.

His mind left the moment once more as his thoughts kept churning the sound of her voice around in his head, 'you're the Ishida-kun of my dreams – you're the Ishida-kun of my dreams – you're the Ishida-kun of my dreams – you're the Ishida-kun of my dreams.' Orihime didn't know it, but Ishida was very much in love with her. He'd loved her since the first day he met her. He'd been in love with her for years.

The first day he saw her was the first day of middle school, so many years ago. They accidentally and rather painfully bumped heads with one another when neither was paying much attention in the chaotic school hallway and they both leaned in to drink from the same water fountain. He had every intention of piously scolding the moron who didn't notice that he was there first until he had a chance to look at the clumsy culprit. She smiled brightly up at him, gave him a respectful bow and a sincere apology. He, on the other hand, was a pompous ass! He chastised himself for many years about the first words he'd ever spoken to her. His reply to her genuine sincerity and kindness to the head bumping incident was a curt, "just be more careful next time." Without a doubt, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on, even her voice was so dainty and feminine, and she was so just genuinely nice and sweet. She was all heart, not a mean or self fish bone in her body.

He was secretly shocked and delighted to find that such a perfect specimen of a girl was so very smart too, she was in everyone one of his honors classes. He marveled that she seemed to spend entire class periods day dreaming yet she was consistently ranked among the top in their class. He remains convinced, to this day, that if Orihime cut her in-class day dreaming time in half and focused just a little bit more, he would be the second highest ranked student instead of the first. Yes, he loved Inoue Orihime even long before her divine growth spurt. Back then, like every other brand new middle school girl, she was quite flat chested; and quite perfect.

Ever since that head butting encounter, she'd been the one and only girl of his dreams and the one and only girl of each and every one of his fantasies. He was content to love and admire her from a far. Orihime always seemed so off limits to him. By the end of middle school he was convinced that he would live and die by himself with only his hand for physical companionship. He knew what people thought of him, he surmised that his anti-social personality traits were born of three main circumstances, not having a mother, having his dick head of a father, and having his heart both soar-high and shatter each time he saw the beautiful Inoue Orihime. Ishida Uryuu was a very cranky boy who longed to love and was drastically deprived of attention, compassion, and positive affection.

'_I think maybe I broke my dreamy Ishida-kun.'_ Orihime watched with great concern as her 'imaginary' Ishida-kun seemed to keep spacing out.

The love struck Quincy was knocked from his reverie by a flying pillow that smelled heavily of his Orihime. "Huh… what was that for?" He looked over at the girl sitting wrapped up in a blanket in the center of the empty room.

She just smiled sweetly at him and her voice caught his ear once more, "I'm sorry dreamy Ishida-kun. I didn't mean to break you. You keep spacing out. Please stay and play with me, please? I don't know how much longer they will let me stay asleep. I want to stay here with you as long as I can before they hurt me again." She looked almost as if she were about to cry.

It was tearing at his heart that she was still afraid, that she was still living in deep fear that the Espada would steal her away and have their way with her again. _'How do I explain that they won't hurt her again, how do I tell her she isn't dreaming?' _ It was Ishida's turn to look like he had something important to say. He spoke in a soft concerned tone of voice that young Orihime had never heard come from him before, "Inoue-san, please believe me. I am not a dream Inoue-san. I am really right here, with you, in the Urahara Shop." He paused briefly to give her a moment, hoping that she understood and accepted what he had just said. "We followed you to Hueco Mundo Inoue-san. We followed you and brought you home. You're home. You have been sleeping, drifting in and out of consciousness for two weeks." For two weeks he's wanted to say those words to her.

Orihime's face twisted into an expression of hurt and confusion before it finally settled on an upset pout. "Dreamy Ishida-kun that's not nice, that's not nice at all! You shouldn't say such a mean thing! I think I'd know if I'd been rescued!" If she were standing, you could be certain she would have stomped her foot for added emphasis.

The boy's head dropped slightly and his voice sounded as if it could break at any moment as he remembered the horror, "Inoue-san, you were rescued. I carried you, in my own arms I carried your broken, bruised, and listless body from Las Noches to that tatami mat you've been sleeping on." As hard as he tried he could not fight the tears that welled up_. 'You were there Hime-chan, you were in that big stadium room when we busted through the wall. You were unconscious lying naked on a large table. Your legs hung splayed dangling lifelessly over its edge, and your body was marred, so very battered. Kurosaki lay unconscious with his haori wide open and his hakama pooled at his ankles. He lay on the floor between your legs. '_

Ishida thought he knew heart break from his years of unrequited love, he was not prepared for what he saw that day when Chad, Renji, Rukia, those annoying lesser Arrancar friends of Nell, and he found their way to the center of Las Noches only to find both Orihime and Ichigo unconscious. _'I tore off my jacket and wrapped you up Hime-chan. I lifted you in my arms and as fast as I could hirenkyaku, I brought you through the gate. I carried you home. I left our friends behind, but they followed my lead. Chad carried Ichigo, the other's fought, and I held onto you for dear life!' _

Ishida felt something snap inside of him as the worst moment in his life played repeatedly and for some reason remained alarmingly vivid in his head like a disturbing news reel. Like a rope that had finally given into the load it had been foolishly trying to carry, Ishida gave way and finally buckled under his own weight.

The disbelieving girl sat and starred. At first it seemed like her dreamy Ishida-kun was broken again. She felt bad for 'yelling' at him. Then she watched his eyes as terror and sadness danced with frightening intensity. Her face softened while his glasses slowly began to fog up, his hands curled tightly into clenched fists, and his body began to softly shake. She felt his reiatsu begin to flare up and steadily become unstable and uncharacteristically fierce. Whatever he was thinking was causing him to loose control. She sat watching, she was in awe of how powerful he was when he wasn't masking his spirit energy. She was in greater awe of his passion; she'd never seen the real Ishida-kun or the dreamy Ishida-kun ever display passion for anything other than his Quincy pride. He continued stare at the floor, as she watched him remove his glasses and, despite his lack of control, he set them aside carefully. The intense energy around him continued to grow. Then she heard him speak so softly her ears strained to make out the words that fell from his trembling lips.

"You disappeared without saying goodbye! I didn't know if you were alive. I didn't know where you went! I trained hard to re-gain my powers so I could find you! When I found out where you were I came for you! I didn't know they hurt you! I didn't expect to find you on that table Inoue-san!" He paused briefly, "Now I know, I know how they hurt you. A girl like you… a girl like you Inoue-san should never know hurt like that."

Suddenly she bit back a gasp as he lifted his head and starred deeply into her eyes. Even if she wanted to she couldn't look away from him, his eyes, that piercing gaze. His beautiful vibrant deep violet eyes clouded over with tears but she could still see a raging storm beating just beneath the surface. Sincerity and resolve etched every angle of his handsome face. The pain, the sadness, the terror, the longing and the… love his reiatsu exuded completely consumed her, she felt everything he did. Each emotion so incredibly concentrated that she knew the Quincy boy understood these feelings in their truest and most uninhibited and boundless way possible. It was positively overwhelming and completely unparalleled, even her desire for Kurosaki or her need to leave everyone behind couldn't hold a candle to the fires that burned under Ishida's skin and behind his eyes.

Ishida was past the point of coming undone. Stress, stress somehow related to his feelings for Orihime had finally buckled under the enormous pressure. He'd dominated himself, been in control of his emotions for so long. The combined memory of seeing her on the Espada table and the answered prayer of her recovery were enough to shatter the floodgates.

Suddenly she no longer had to strain to hear his words. His eyes still held hers captive and his reiatsu continued to grow in intensity, soon his body began to lightly glow a soft Quincy blue. The longer he spoke the louder and more luminous he became. His spiritual powers seemed to pull on and combine with her own making his already impressive display of reiatsu even more stunning.

"Nothing… nothing could ever prepare me for what I saw that day Inoue-san. I'd rather have every last inch of my own flesh clipped slowly off of me right down to the bone. Piece by tiny piece of skin, muscle, and organ tissue clipped off slowly with a toe nail clipper and doused in warm salt water than ever have harm come to you! Do you understand? I saw you. I saw you. I saw you lying on that table Inoue-san. I thought you were dead! I know… I know what they did to you. I found you. I tore off my jacket and wrapped you up Inoue-san. I lifted you in my arms and as fast as I could hirenkyaku, I brought you through the gate. I carried you here. I brought you home! They will NEVER touch you again!" The inflamed boy spoke in a clear leveled tone that dared not be challenged, "You – are – not – dreaming! "

As quickly as Ishida's reiatsu flared, it settled and his voice was once again quiet, "you are not dreaming Inoue-san, you are home now. This is all very real." The stunned girl watched his eyes drop from hers to the place where he set his glasses. The proud Quincy felt shamed and vulnerable. He was unaccustomed to feeling either. He slid his glasses back on but couldn't bear to look at the girl he loved, he'd revealed too much of himself. He hadn't meant to loose control like that. He'd never lost control. He'd never even known he had that much power within him, and he was completely bewildered that not only could he combine his spiritual energy with hers but that she allowed him to do so. All of these thoughts would have to wait. At the moment they were unimportant. He also felt as if he had unintentionally demanded of Orihime that she feel bad for acting so selfishly and running away. He felt as if he might have frightened her or backed her into a corner when all he ever really wanted to do was protect her and dedicate his life to making her happy.

His reiatsu flare had drained him to exhaustion. He didn't know what to say to her, or even if there was anything that could be said at all. He simply sat there without saying a word.

Orihime just starred at him; truly she did not know what to make of what just happened, though she clearly understood that she was not the only one hurting. She'd never seen or felt anything remotely like that before. She briefly wondered if it was something akin to the Quincy race before deciding that was entirely irrelevant.

Trace amounts of the pain, sorrow, terror, and longing she felt from him, feelings she now understood were raging inside of him everyday and no one knew because he hid it all so well, still lingered inside of her. It was almost as if he'd transferred some of his own reiatsu to her, knowingly or otherwise. Even the strongest feeling, the love he felt, she could still feel that inside of her too. He reminded her of a dormant volcano, strong and powerful, calm on the outside but raging underneath.

She didn't want to think about any of it any more. She didn't want discuss what had just happened, she didn't want the Espada to ever touch her again, and she truly didn't care rather or not she was dreaming but she was willing to entertain the possibility that he was telling the truth about her rescue. The only things she was certain about were that no one knew very much at all about Ishida Uryuu and most of what they thought they knew about him was probably entirely wrong. She also felt that Ishida-kun was very sad and though she felt it was all her fault though she still couldn't pin-point why she felt it was her fault.

Orihime gathered up her blanket and went to sit next to the quiet subdued boy who huddled in the corner. He looked sad and a bit scared, but he was cute when he looked like a puppy lost in the rain. She snuggled up tightly beside him and lifted his arm to drape it around her shoulders before she covered them both with her blanket. He was so sweet and he smelled good too. "Arigato Ishida-kun." With those words she left a chaste kiss on his cheek and settled against her thoroughly bewildered Quincy pillow for the night. "You were amazing!" Indeed, after a display like that, amazing was the only word she could find.

'_She's still here? She doesn't hate me…she kissed me? What for? A… amazing?_ _Oh, Orihime, I'm so sorry. You were never supposed to know any of that.'_ He made sure the blanket covered them both before resting his chin on her head and deeply inhaling her scent. He wrapped both arms around her in a gentle hug. "Inoue-san, I don't know why your still here after what I just did, I don't know why you're thanking me, and I really don't know why your so close to me right now, but would… I mean if it's ok with you, stay like that for just till I fall asleep. I'll understand if you…"

When she felt his arms wrap around her small frame to hold her in his timid embrace, an unexpected sense of asylum flooded through her. _'Ishida-kun's so comfortable.'_ The sound of his voice vibrated through his chest and tickled the ear she had pressed against him_. 'Hrm… Ishida-kun talks a lot too. Just like me.'_ Orihime smiled and silently giggled to herself. _'I like Ishida-kun's voice, maybe he should be a phone operator?'_ She was fully fixated on his voice but she wasn't paying attention to a single insecure word the young Quincy boy was rambling on about. For too long she'd been starved for someone to genuinely care for her, she needed life, people, and love to stimulate her. It surprised her how wonderful it felt and how easy it was to settle against him and relax in his arms. Orihime didn't like to be alone. She always wanted a warm body near her, but always had to settle for stuffed animals, pillows, or the little time she was able to spend with her friends who often seemed to either ignore her or be in the middle of some crisis

"Inoue-san... Inoue-san, did you hear me?"

"Huh, ohhhhhh oppps, gomen Ishida-kun. What did you say? I was listening to your voice, but I didn't hear what you said. I was thinking. Maybe you should be a phone operator. I mean I don't know how much money they make or how fun a job it is, but you sound so nice. I would like to call the operator and hear your voice… I'll be your first customer!" She belted out that last phrase with a hopeful and overly exuberant voice before settling back down, "I really like your voice Ishida-kun. Please… please keep talking."

The raven haired boy was taken back, again. "Inoue-san," he gently brushed her bangs from her forehead and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear marveling at how silky and soft her hair felt against his fingers before settling both arms back around her, "are you comfortable?" Instinctively she nestled closer to him. He was mildly alarmed when she didn't answer right away. "Inoue-san…?"

"Oh, gomen Ishida-kun. Arigato… don't leave me, please."

"Why would I leave you Inoue-san?" In an effort to reassure the shaken girl in his arms he briefly tightened the light hug he held her in.

"I'm afraid Ishida-kun."

Something told him she wasn't referring entirely to the Aizen and his goons. "Will you tell me what you're afraid of?"

"If I do, will you promise not to leave? Ishida-kun? Will you promise?"

She was beginning to scare him. _'Did something else happen to her that I don't know about yet?_' "Inoue-san I will stay at your side forever if you wish it. Please, what's wrong?"

"I'm afraid if I say 'yes' then you'll leave."

"Yes, yes to what? I don't understand."

"You asked if I was comfortable." She sat quietly for a minute, hesitant to explain further. "I was never comfortable in Hueco Mundo and even before then I wasn't uncomfortable but I was never comfortable. I can remember times when I think I was comfortable but it didn't feel like this." Orihime's eyes began to well up and her voice began to faintly crack, "I'm scared Ishida-kun. If I tell you that I'm comfortable then you'll let go."

"Why would I let go Inoue-san, I want you to be comfortable."

"Why would you not let go once you've done what you set out to do?"

'_Why is she thinking such things?_' "Inoue-san, are you comfortable being so close to me, do you like it when I hug you, and talk to you?"

"Hai…"

"And you're afraid that if you tell me than I'll stop doing those things?"

"Hai…"

Ishida un-stretched his legs and laid them out in front of him in a 'V' shape. He carefully hoisted the sweet girl that was pressed against his side up and settled her gently on the floor in front of him between his legs before re-adjusting the blanket and wrapping his arms around her to pull her back into his embrace. This time he had more confidence. This time he held her tighter. It only took a moment before she cuddled in close, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and rested her comfortably on his chest.

They sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes before he folded his legs back up enough for them to cross at his calves and he leaned down slightly to rest his chin on her head, 'she smells so wonderful'. "I won't leave you Inoue-san. I promise. If I ask, will you tell me? Are your more comfortable now?"

"Hai, but is Ishida-kun comfortable?"

"I've never been more comfortable in my whole life Inoue-san, never. So please don't -you- leave." He squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head letting his lips linger for a moment to brush against her hair.

She returned his embrace with equal fervor. "Me neither, never in my entire life. Ishida-kun?"

"Hai Inoue-san?"

"I can hear your voice better from here. When you talk all I think about is your voice. I don't want to think about anything else. Everything else is sad, but Ishida-kun is warm and comfortable."

"You want me to keep talking?"

"Yes please, I like Ishida-kun's voice."

"Hrm, what do you want me to talk about?"

She breathed in deeply_. 'Has Ishida-kun always smelled so good?'_ "It doesn't matter."

"Ok, let's see. How about… I have a book on Greek and Roman mythology from school. We actually have a test on some of this stuff next week. Do you want me to read that to you out loud?"

"Yes, that's perfect! Does it have any stories with happy endings? I like happy endings."

"There's the story of Venus's son Cupid?"

"Is it a happy story?"

"Not entirely, but it does have a happy ending." _'Maybe this is the kind of story she needs. Not all bad experiences result in a bad life.' _ "How about this, I'll tell you the ending first and then start reading the story from the beginning?"

Orihime pondered her options. What she wanted most was for him to keep talking and the sooner he got to reading the better, but she was already sad and didn't want to become even sadder. Still, he warned her story would probably be sad but all end up ok. _'Well I guess so long as I know it ends well and he keeps talking then it should be ok.'_ "Ok Ishida-kun, tell me how it ends."

"As you wish Inoue-san. Cupid is immortal and desperately helplessly in love with a beautiful mortal woman named Psyche. The story is all about the drama they face in an effort to be with one another. In the end they over come all the angst in their lives and live happily. Psyche becomes immortal and the couple is joined in marriage, so to speak, for all eternity. They even give birth to a daughter and name her Pleasure." He leaned down to peek over the side of her head to look at her beautiful face to see if his choice of story was acceptable, "So, what do you think?"

She tilted her head up and gave him a sweet and contented smile. _'His eyes are so beautiful so warm.'_ "Ok Ishida-kun. That sounds like a nice story. Please, promise again you won't leave; even if I fall asleep." Again, she couldn't tear herself from his eyes.

Orihime wondered if his glasses were magical or maybe even cursed by an evil spirit because every time he took his glasses and their eyes locked she was mesmerized. His eyes weren't just soft and warm; they weren't just a beautiful hue. But, just beyond the surface they were a raging squall of blue intensity. She wasn't even sure he knew about it

'_Maybe it's some kind of power I have. I'm good with reiatsu, maybe his eyes are linked to his reiatsu? Maybe I'm the only one who can see it?'_ Some part of her felt that she should be scared but instead the powerful force behind his eyes soothed her even more than the sound of his voice did. _'Why Ishida-kun? Why now? What is it about you Ishida-kun that lulls me so easily? What did you do Ishida-kun?'_ She remembered the emotions that consumed him when his reiatsu flared. She remembers because somehow she felt everything he did just as acutely as if she'd wore his skin. She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't stop. Orihime had always wanted to be consumed with by love with someone who loved her just as fervorently. She was beginning to think she didn't know the first thing about what that really meant, _'but Ishida-kun, Ishida-kun knows. I've never felt anything so wonderful and so terrible before. Why can I see it? Why does he feel so deeply? What does he feel so deeply for?' _She thought these questions would never be answered.

He took his glasses off for just a moment. He was close enough to her to see everything clearly. The gentleman Quincy gently placed his palm on her cheek and while holding her gave he ran the pad of his over one of her eyebrows, "I promise Inoue-san, there's no where else I would rather be."

She gasped as she suddenly realized that the reason she felt responsible for his sadness earlier was because it really was all her fault. _'Ishida-kun loves me! His spiritual energy… that was about me, all that love, all that fear and sorrow; all because of me!'_

He slid his glasses back on and kissed the top of her head before freeing an arm to shuffle through the pile at his side and find his Mythology book. The disappointed sigh he heard from the girl sitting between his legs when he had to remove his arm from her embrace caused him to feel like his chest would burst.

The gentle voice of Inoue Orihime blessed Ishida Uryuu's ears as he felt her grip on him tighten, "Ishida-kun, I hope I'm not dreaming but I'm still scared." She was scared; she didn't want to hurt him_. 'Can I ever love him as much as he loves me? How can he love me? I'm broken? I'm the cherished whore of Aizen's elite. I'm used, I'm disgusting!' _

In no time at all he had both arms wrapped around her again as he held book in front of them and began to read the mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche. As soon as his arms held her and his voice vibrated from his chest to tickle her ear, true to her prior claim, everything vanished from her except the dulcet and soothing sounds of his voice as it softly lulled her to a happier place, a place with happy endings. "Let's get started Inoue-san, the sooner we get passed sad stuff, the sooner we can get to the happy ending."

**END**** OF CHAPTER****, not the end of the story**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

'_Text like this' _ thoughts and internal dialogue

Chapters will probably be short. It's easier for me that way.

Sorry for any bad writing, I don't have a/any beta/s.

Thank you for the reviews. Constructive feedback does motivate me to spend more time writing. Especially since this is the first story I've ever written.

Beta'ed after the chapter was originally posted by Aurorawhisperwind

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**Chapter Edit History**

03-12-2208 grammar and spelling adjustments

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**Chapter Summary**

Everyone is still in the lone room at the Urahara Shop. Ishida has some stuff to do and needs a few hours away from Orihime. Tatsuki and Orihime reconnect.

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**CHAPTER****3**

Ishida was woken by a soft knock at the door and the confident voice of Arisawa Tatsuki. "Your relief's here Geek, I'm kicking you out. Yoruichi will be here soon too I'm sure."

Before he had time to reply the paper doors slid open and the spikey haired karate champ stepped into the room. Her eyes went wide when she noticed the absence of her best friend from her mattress in the middle of the room. She instinctively paned the room in search of the missing girl. It was safe to say she was less than thrilled when she found her Orihime-chan.

Naturally, after protecting her innocent Orihime day in and day out since middle school from the onslaught of sleazy boys and perverted lesbians, her first reaction was to kill. Her brow furrowed and fists clinched when she found Orihime wrapped up very happily in the all consuming and very intimate embrace of a teenage boy.

Ishida's face turned bright red from being caught in such an affectionate position with the girl he secretly loved. The average teenage boy in him seemed to fear the wrath of Arisawa almost as strongly as the Quincy in him loathed Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Still, his first concern was for the precious cargo in his arms, and with strength he didn't know he had he quietly and commandingly met the scary karate champion head on, "Inoue-san sleeps. You will lower your voice Arisawa."

Tatsuki's eye twitched at the challenge. She didn't want to be the one responsible for waking her friend up, especially not when she was clearly very happy to be right where she was. The two stood in the silent challenge of a stare-down for a moment._ 'Wow, he's gorgeous without his glasses and __tousled__ hair. Argh, shut up Arisawa!'_ She was caught momentarily off guard by her own very unexpected and strayed thought. She stomped her foot sporting an angry glare before sitting in the corner of the room opposite the cozy couple.

They spoke back and forth in quiet, hushed, and threatening tones in some bizarre alpha-dog challenge to win protective rights over the sleeping princess.

'_It was such a bad idea to leave her alone with a boy. Damn him for refusing to leave her. If he hurt her it's my fault.'_ "Does she have all her clothes on under there? Did they come off at anytime?

He couldn't help but blush at the thought of a scantily clad Orihime. _'Funny, I thought I'd wake up to find everything that happened last night to be just a dream. Hah, I really did actually expect to be dreamy Ishida-kun. But she's really here with me, wrapped around me!' _For a moment he basked in the euphoric disbelief of the entire setting. "Do not insult me Arisawa!" He reveled in the auburn beauty's sweet scent and the wonderful warmth her small body generated against his.

'_If' he's taken advantage of her at all these past two weeks, he's dead. I don't care how smart and cute he is, good thing his family owns a damn hospital!'_ "If you've touched her in any inappropriate ways Ishida, I'm going to kick your ass! … I demand to see your hands!"

'_She's pissed! Arisawa's going to kick my ass the first chance she gets!'_ "Again, do not insult me or make me repeat myself. Besides if I move she will most likely wake up." His thoughts took a turn for the worse as the expression on his face shifted to sadness. _'Besides, it's likely I'll never be able to hold her like this again.'_

Tatsuki noted the drastic change in the boy; he did nothing to hide it. He sat in the corner and seemed to hold onto Orihime even tighter as if he might loose her. She watched him; it seemed he had completely forgotten she was in the room with him and itching to beat him to a bloody pulp. He closed his eyes and buried his nose in the soft head of silky hair resting on his chest before leaving a chaste kiss on Orihime's head.

Tatsuki watched the whole thing in hidden awe, _'ok that's either really creepy or really sweet.'_

Ishida felt the girl in his arms begin to stir. "Tatsuki-chan please stop upsetting Ishida-kun. Ishida-kun is good. Ishida-kun's a perfect gentleman. Please be nice to him Tatsuki-chan, please." She tilted her sleepy head and big doe eyes back to look at the boy that kept her safe all night, "thank-you Ishida-kun." A tiny tinge of pink crossed her cheeks, "you're so comfortable, it was like sleeping in a Quincy cocoon." She giggled a bit as she watched him blush before adjusting her position in his lap so that her back settled against his chest. The sleepy girl moved the blanket so that it still covered them both thoroughly, effectively trapping their combined body heat and shielding them from Tatsuki; though that wasn't necessarily her intent.

Carefully gauging the reaction of the girl who proclaimed him a cocoon, the usually shy boy kept his arms possessively wrapped around her, fixed snuggly across her flat cotton covered stomach. He was very happy when Orihime seem to welcome his advance; she snuggled into his morning-after embrace before draping her own arms and hands across her stomach to rest comfortably on top of his. She settled into the delighted boy like a custom made chair.

"Ishida-kun?"

"Hai, Inoue-san?"

"Is that dreamy Tatsuki-chan or Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki's eyes were overcome with worry when they locked with the violet eyes if the Quincy boy.

"She's real Inoue-san, just like you and me. You are home."

The concerned eyes of the karate champ traveled back and forth from her best friend to her geeky bedfellow, "Of course I'm real Inoue-san. Why wouldn't I be? Ishida, why is she asking that? That's uh… well, it's kind of scary."

Ishida saw the worry in Tatsuki's eyes, he imagined that's exactly how he looked when he discovered Orihime's dissociation of reality. Once again Ishida adjusted himself over the side of Orihime's head so he could talk to her. "Inoue-san, you want to explain to her or should I?"

She gasped audibly enough for them to hear. _'His eyes'_ she remembered, she remembered what she saw behind his beautiful amethyst eyes last night. _'His power? His spirit? What is that?_' Even with his glasses she could see the very power of the Universe ceaselessly bursting inside of him. She tentatively reached up to touch his face as the memories of last night commanded her attention. Whatever it was that she was seeing was so enormously vast. _'There's no way I could've known Ishida-kun all these years and missed that. Why now?'_ Then she remembered his reiatsu flare last night. She vividly recollected what he shared with her and she momentarily forgot to breathe when her body recalled the feeling she was overcome with when his spirit energy seemed to pull from hers and she was consumed by his boundless propensity to love_. 'That was the first time I ever saw his eyes like this.' _

"Inoue-san… Is everything ok? What's wrong?" He was worried for the girl in his arms, he didn't understand what was happening to her, and he didn't understand why she starred so intently at him. For a moment he was worried that she had slipped into an even deeper state of dissociation.

The dazed girl's blank eyes shot back to life, "Huh..?"

The panicked boy drew a sigh of relief. "Tatsuki-san wants to know why you think she might be a dream. Do you want to tell her or would you like me to."

'_He's asking me? Why's he asking me, no one cares what I have to say? Even Tatsuki-chan laughs at me all the time... Am I really home?... My dreamy Ishida-kun is real?'_ She felt disoriented. Memories of last night wouldn't let her rest. Intricately detailed thoughts of Aizen and the Espada treating her like a sleazy and worthless broken-in blow up doll kept trying to force their way to the forefront of her thoughts. It was so hard to believe it was over. It seemed even harder to believe the unexpected and completely wonderful and strange ways Ishida Uryuu made her feel, she craved his closeness. _'How can I even want anyone to touch me after… after the way they touched me?' _So unexpected - all of it so much! No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't stop thinking about Ishida's eyes as she unconsciously tightened her grip on her Quincy. He was her only source of comfort and stability.

He felt the girl in his arms begin to tremble and paw at him as she blankly seemed to space out again just as she had a moment ago. Under the mild-stealth of the blanket he hugged her tighter and placed on hand on top of hers, pausing a moment before interlacing their fingers. Immediately she began to calm. "How about we both tell her Inoue-san? You go first and tell what you know, and then I'll go after you?" _'She'll never be able to accept anything if she can't even talk about it.'_

Tatsuki felt powerless. Useless to help her friend as she watched Orihime slip back and forth between reality and whatever horrors were assaulting her mind. She thought about the double life her friend had been living all this time. The powerful friends she had, the extraordinary places she'd been to, the dangerous situations that seemed to be a daily norm. _'I really can't protect Orihime anymore can I? I can't compare to any of that!' _It wasn't the first time she'd felt completely useless to help. Tatsuki remembered the afternoon her friends returned from Hueco Mundo; she felt Orihime the moment she crossed the border back into the world of the living. Orihime's spiritual energy actually felt nothing at all like how it normally did, but she still some how knew that the faint and twisted spiritual force belonged to Orihime. In the middle of the day, without explanation or warning, she left everything behind and bolted from class at a frantic speed to track down Orihime. Her search led her to the Urahara shop, it was a verifiable circus; everyone was already there.

Tatsuki stood, unable to believe the nightmare she suddenly found herself trapped in. She remained motionless as she took in the circus of a scene that surrounded her. Her head began to throb and swim. An ever silent Sado sat watching in disbelief from the corner, Rukia was on the floor softly running her fingers through the spikey orange hair of an unconscious Ichigo, Renji was hollering something about going to get the 4th division before he disappeared, some gorgeous purple haired woman she now knew to be Yoruichi was trying desperately to silence a shrillingly loud and freakish looking little girl with a speech impediment who clearly wanted to be near 'Itsygo', and Mr. Hat-n-Clogs was trying equally as hard to get the other weird looking creatures to follow the purple haired woman and the noisy kid to the basement.

A stabbing sense of despair filled Tatsuki's heart when her eyes settled on the girl she came here to find; she was no longer capable of providing for her cherished auburn haired best friend. The special girl she'd sworn to always protect.

In a state of chilling abeyance, in a room separate from the rest of the choas, lay a horribly battered Orihime. Limp on the cold floor scantily clad in a white jacket. Her soft, ivory, innocent flesh eroded with red crusted lacerations and a myriad of black and blue hues. Above her a shaken Ishida Uryuu, teetering on the brink of shock, vehemently threatened anyone who tried to get near while he carefully tried to straighten her matted and disheveled hair. Unable to move, Tatsuki watched him as he tenderly looked down on her and softly pleaded with whichever God was real to make her better in between his broken sobs of pleading inaudible urgent words to the vacant girl before. She watched him lay down at her side. He whispered something - Tatsuki watched - Orihime glowed - Ishida looked stunned - everyone saw. Orihime was healthy, as radiant as ever.

Tatsuki heard the distinct voice of the unusual shop keeper when his stunned voice broke the silence. "Ishida-san, what did you do?"

Speechless and stunned the young Quincy fought to find his voice. "Nothing Urahara-san, nothing; I was just… I was just talking to her."

"What as the last thing you said?" It wasn't often that Urahara was completely taken by surprise.

"I… I was angry Urahara-san, I thought I'd lost her. I was angry, mean, and demanding to her."

The unexpected deep baritone of a mystified Sado wanted to know, "What did you say Ishida?"

Ishida Uryuu sat up on his knees and adjusted his coat to cover as much as her pristine soft and exposed ivory flesh as it could, "I demanded that she heal herself… She's, I think she's asleep now."

"Wow that was definitely her Shun Shun Rikka." Urahara slapped his hand to the back of his neck, he was completely taken back. "She healed herself, on command, unconscious, and without an incantation! That's incredible!" _'I wonder how Aizen forced her to pull that trick out of her hat. If he thinks she's who I think she is - he won't stop coming after her.' _ He sighed, _'poor girl, she better make a decision soon.' _

Now, two weeks later Tatsuki still could not believe that it was the same Ishida Uryuu that she'd known for years who she watched that day, who sat across from her now, and again seemed to flourish where she now failed. Sadly the spikey haired champ watched again as Orihime respond instantly to the boy as he tried to comfort her and convince her to talk, _'she needs to be convinced to talk to ME, what, why?'_

A conflicted Orihime shifted onto her side and buried her face into Ishida's chest like a timid child trying to hide from the world by burrowing into a trusty safety blanket. She loved her Tatsuki-chan so much, but she couldn't bear to have her friend laugh at her – not now; she didn't think she could handle adding that particular nail to her already lead heavy coffin. "She'll laugh at me Ishida-kun. Can you tell her please?"

Ishida had never been to one of Tatsuki's tournaments, but he now had a pretty good idea of what the kind hearted warrior looked like after a firm and unexpected kick to the face. Orihime's words hurt.

He began to recant the story, more for Orihime's sake than Tatsuki's. He'd hoped that the more his Hime-chan heard about her life, out loud, infused with details of simple things that seemed both reasonable and logical, that she might continue to work on accepting that she was indeed back home. "Yesterday Inoue-san woke up. It wasn't like the brief moments of waking unconsciousness that she'd been having for the past two weeks. She woke up and I think she was laughing at me, I must have looked ridiculous. Anyway, when she woke up she was convinced that this, being here at the Urahara Shop, was all a dream and that she might still be in Las Noches fast asleep…"

Ishida was interrupted as Orihime gasped and sat straight up! _'He told her about Las Noches!' "_Tatsuki-chan, Tatsuki-chan doesn't know Ishida-kun."

The other two seemed puzzled for a moment; they didn't know what Orihime was referring to.

Tatsuki, who was much more adept at conversing with her best friend clued in quickly enough. "I do know Orihime." Orihime settled back into Ishida's grasp and looked questioningly at her best friend. "I followed Ichhhh… well to the Urahara Shop the night they left to go rescue you. We… I mean I," Tatsuki mentally scolded herself for her inability to keep Ichigo and the others out of her explanation, "snuck in the basement and watched them disappear through this freakishly large and completely creepy unreal looking doorway. Urahara kindly filled in all the blanks after he caught us hiding. I might not know everything, but I know enough to understand."… "I was… I, well, I was also here the night you came back." _'Will I ever be able to talk about Ichigo in front of her again? Will I ever be able to get the sight of her that night out of my head?'_ The karate champ woke up at least once a night in a feverishly cold sweat assaulted with the nightmares of her own cruel and self made scenarios of the horrors her best friend might have lived through.

"We?" Came Orihime's simple question.

"Keigo and Mizuiro were with me that night they left to go to Hueco Mundo." Tatsuki scooted a little closer to her friend; she tried to shake all worry from her face_. 'She doesn't trust me to take her seriously? When did that happen?'_ "Please Orihime, will you finish the story Ishida-san started? What happened last night?"

"But Ishida-kun will tell it so much better," Orihime's eyes shot down and diverted to the side momentarily, "no one ever laughs at him, besides he has the best voice in the world." She looked up and smiled big at the boy who blushingly held her before turning brightly toward her best friend, "Don't you think Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki sweat dropped as her hand slapped the back of her neck and mild blush seemed to materialize, "Uh well, actually, Ishida does have a really nice voice." The fearless karate champion found a very interesting spot on the floor that was apparently in great need of her attention. "Sorry Ishida, I'm with Orihime, you give the best oral reports in school. A lot of girls and probably a few guys seem think so too."

Orihime was so happy and pleased with herself. So much so that she completely overlooked that both boy and best friend were trying desperately hard not to look at each other or die of embarrassment.

"But uh… Orihime-chan, you're my best friend. I'd much rather hear you talk than Ishida, especially if it's important." Tatsuki turned a sudden and pleading gaze toward her best friend, "Please, Orihime, you've been so distant for the past couple of years, and then this thing happened and I can't help but think how close I may have come to never seeing you again." Ishida watched silently as tears began to streak down Tatsuki's normally composed face as her own Inoue Orihime floodgates opened. "Orihime, I don't ever want to loose you. I can't loose you, and I feel like I already have, you never talk to me anymore. You never tell me anything. I don't even know where you are half the time. I miss my best friend Orihime, please let be a part of your life again."

A sharp, very unpleasant and cool breeze filled the once warm space around quiet Quincy boy where a soft and sweet smelling girl once sat as Orihime flew out of his lap to wrap her arms around her best friend's neck in an picture perfect tackle hug. He couldn't help but smile, _'this is god for Orihime'_. He slipped his glasses on and watched a moment as Tatsuki seemed to try and find a nice way to tell Orihime that she needed air. Ishida couldn't help himself, he was still just a teenage boy and two very hot looking girls in a near wrestling position wiggling around right in front of him commanded his attention and the attention of his now hyper-sensitive purple Quincy spear. He quickly threw the disheveled blanket across his lap. A motion that somehow even the oxygen deprived Tatsuki caught and somehow still had enough energy to glare and snarl at him for. For the moment, Orihime was just happy to be with her Ishida-kun and her Tatsuki-chan.

Tatsuki managed to peel her best friend off of her. She was happy Orihime was smiling and took this lighter moment to get rid of blue haired Quincy boy that her best friend had literally over night, become rather attached to. Even though she questioned her own ability to effectively calm Orihime if the need arose. "Hey you, it's not the weekend yet. Don't you have someplace to be?"

"Hmph"…. Ishida gathered the piles of books and papers around him into neater stacks. He really didn't want to leave Orihime, but he only had a few hours a day to do everything he needed to do, and he knew Tatsuki wanted to spend some alone time with her best friend. _'Besides, Yoruichi will be here soon and she'll kick me out rather I want to go or not.' _A small frown crept over his face as he came to a rather demasculinizing realization._ 'I'm surrounded by girls who can brutally kick my ass, what the hell! How did that happen? Orihime could leave me six feet under easily and that tiny little rocket blasting Tessai Tsukabishi that works for Urahara," _a small shiver ran down his spine, "_that little girl makes me want to wear a steel enforced cup everyday. If she even kicks me once I will definitely be the last Quincy! It's un-natural for a girl to be able to kick that hard! Ugh… then there's Rukia too! '_

The sweet girl looked back and forth between the other two people in the room. "What?" Worry started to etch her face. "Ishida-kun is leaving?" Immediately she tensed and seemed to take a few steps backward in the little progress she had been making.

'_What the hell! Why is she so attached to him? I swear to God I'll kill him if he did anything even more inappropriate than what I walked in on! It's bad enough he saw her naked when he rescued her!'_ "Don't worry Orihime; he'll be back in three hours, at 5:30. You've got me all to yourself till then. Oh, that and Yoruichi will be here soon."

Ishida dropped his backpack by the open door; the look on Orihime's face would be his undoing. He'd do anything to keep her happy. He knew how scared she was, he knew that she didn't feel safe or trust her surroundings and it was clear that she didn't trust her own judgment but for some reason she felt comfortable with him, she trusted him. Though he wasn't sure why. In a brief moment of chivalrous delusion he momentarily convinced himself that he could take on both Tatsuki and Yoruichi and force the girls to let him stay with his Orihime. _'But it won't help Orihime at all if she sees or hears any of us fighting or yelling at one another.'_ He pulled her into a reassuring hug. "I'll only be gone 3 hours Inoue-san. Arisawa and Yoruichi-san will be with you. I promise I'll come right back and then we'll do whatever you want, we have all weekend."

She wrapped her arms tighter around him and mumbled into his cheat. "Why do you need to go Ishida-kun? If you go you won't come back. Please stay here, you can play with me and Tatsuki-chan."

"Well I need to go home and get a shower and some clean clothes or you won't ever want to hug me again, then I have a meeting to go to, then I need to run by the optometrist in the mall really quickly to get my glasses fixed, they keep sliding off my face and I have to keep pushing them up. Or haven't you noticed?"

His heart lightened a little when he felt her loosen her grip on him and chuckle a little. "I like the way you smell Ishida-kun. You don't need a shower."

"Ahh, but will you feel that way tomorrow. I'm not sure you'd like the smell of a teenage Quincy after 48 hours of not having a shower."

The more he talked and reassured her that he wasn't going to abandon her, the more relaxed Orihime became. "What meeting do you have Ishida-kun?"

Tatsuki just stood and starred at the boy wondering if he was going to answer her best friend's question truthfully.

He thought about his answer for a moment and decided that he didn't want to ever lie or hide things from Orihime, she'd been through enough. He knew that all the bad things that had happened to her in life, not having parents, loosing her brother, living alone, being neglected and being over looked by her friends, often being treated like a imbecile by those she cared for, and then everything that happened in Huecho Mundo had all but effectively annihilated her ability to trust and lying to her most certainly wouldn't help her get past her trust issues and alarming dissociative problems. He couldn't disrespect her by or even claim to be doing everything he cold to help her get better by presenting her with lies instead of truths. She deserved far-far better than all of that! _'She's been through a lot and needs help right now, but she's the farthest thing from weak and helpless.'_ She'd literally been through hell and quite frankly he was in awe of her resilient and unrelenting strength. _'I won't insult you Hime-chan, you aren't a child.'_

"Inoue-san, every weekday afternoon Arisawa comes by to see you after she gets out from school. While she's here I go home, shower, and change and meet with a group of people at the Karakura Community Center."

"What kind of group Ishida-kun? Is it fun? Can I come?"

"You can't come today Inoue-san, but when I get back we can talk about going to groups together on Monday if you'd like. The group I go to isn't fun but I think it's really important for me to be there, it's a peer-support group."

Orihime loosened her grip around his waist and looked up at him, her curiosity was peaked. He could see it in her eyes.

In the back of his mind he decided that teaching a sex education class, especially being the supremely inexperienced virgin that he was, would be easier than this, though he honestly couldn't figure out why it was so hard to get out. He looked into her beautiful eyes and took a deep breath, determined to get it over with. "It's a peer-support group for the friends and family members of rape victims."

Tatsuki's jaw dropped. _'I can't believe he actually told her the truth.'_

He paused for a moment, "and when that's over I usually come back here to be with you. So you see. I'll be back. I never really leave." In a rare sight, he smiled; it was a smile just for her. He pulled her back into a hug, he could tell she didn't know what to say or even how to react. Truthfully he wasn't even sure how honest with herself she was about having been raped. He suspected that it was very possible she was dissociating those memories. "So, Inoue-san, will it be ok if I leave for just three hours?"

She didn't move or even acknowledge his question.

Slowly he broke the hug and leaned over to pull his wallet from his school bag. "Inoue-san, do you remember when we were in the Soul Society to save Rukia? Do you remember one night when we were hiding out and resting I told you about Sensei, my grandfather?"

She nodded. She remembered everything he told her about his grandfather. His words, at that time, seemed so uncharacteristic of him. He spoke of his Grandfather with such endearment and respect. She knew he loved his grandfather more than anyone else.

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a picture, he looked at it for a minute before handing it to her. "That's him, that's Sensei, and that's me when I was 9 years old."

Before he could go any further he heard a girly high pitched squeal of delight that caused him to stumble back a bit. He thought noises of that sort were just vibrant literary descriptions; he didn't know girls actually made that sound! Orihime grabbed the picture and ran right for her best friend.

"Look Tatsuki-chan… look, look how cute Ishida-kun was. He looks so happy too, and they match. They're both dressed like Quincy's!" Ishida wondered what the future held and if he should ever be lucky enough to have Orihime by his side everyday if he should permanently sport a sunburn to hide the constant state of blush she seemed determined to keep him in.

Normally Tatsuki would just grin and pat her friend on the head, happy that Orihime was happy but not actually sharing anything with her. That's exactly what she caught herself in the process of doing! _'Oh my God! Orihime's right. Do I do things like that to her all the time?'_ She tried to recall the last time she actually attempted to relate to her friend rather than just play the role of the sounding board or the body guard. Honestly she couldn't remember anything in recent years. Then a rather unpleasant epiphany caused a horrible tightness in her chest _'maybe I am the reason I've been loosing my best friend.'_

She looked at how happy something so simple, a picture of a boy and his grandfather, could make Orihime even after everything she'd been through. She stared at the wide sparkling eyes and radiant smile of her best friend and suddenly remembered why she had been drawn to Orihime in the first place, why she had always been drawn to Orihime. Orihime was wonderfulness; she was the best of everything the world could possibly put into one person. It was the day that she realized how special Inoue Orihime was that she vowed to protect her. Some things were so wonderful you would just fight willingly till your dying breath - not to protect them, but to preserve them. Inoue Orihime did not need to be protected, she needed to be preserved.

Tatsuki grabbed her friend and with tear streaked eyes she hugged her fiercely. "I'm so sorry. I love you Orihime! I'll always love you. I'll never leave you again. I love you!"

After a moment the hug broke and a bewildered Orihime gently used the blanket to help her Tatsuki-chan clean her face. "I really do love you Orihime."

Orihime smiled a sweet smile that Tatsuki hadn't seen in ages. The spikey haired girl knew Orihime had a million smiles, but that one was just for her; Orihime's smile for her best friend.

"I love you too Tatsuki-chan." Orihime reached out to grab her friend's hand and laced their fingers together; "forever Tatsuki-chan!"

Determined to start making things right again, the karate champ reached over to take the picture from Orihime. "Ok now, let's see what all the fuss is about." She studied the picture and decided she'd just never paid any attention to Ishida Uryuu in the past because he was a rude, loner, geek… but she really couldn't deny that Orihime might be on to something. "For a 9 year old you're a definite hottie Ishida!"

Ishida's jaw dropped right before he miscalculated the stair step behind him and fell flat on his ass. His face just kept getting redder! He mumbled something under his breath about hot girls… early grave… and embarrassment as an unethical weapon of destruction.

Orihime and Tatsuki just giggled at his apparent discomfort and walked over to help him up. The sweet buxom beauty placed a soft kiss on his cheek hoping to make him feel better before leaning up against him to use him as a human wall. He wrapped his arm around her to provide support. Ishida glared out of the corner of his eye at Tatsuki and hoped with every fiber of his being that she didn't plan on kissing him too. He breathed a very audible sigh of relief when he figured he was in the clear.

Tatsuki seemed to have understood exactly what he was thinking and decided to punch him in his free arm for being a brat, she was very-very surprised when her lightening fast fist hit a small glowing triangular shield and the look on her best friends face went from happy to menacing. "Oh-K…" Tatsuki took a few steps back. "I got it, don't pick on Ishida. I'm sorry Orihime; I was just joking around with him."

"Ok Tatsuki-chan." The shield dropped. "Please be nice to Ishida-kun though. He's very nice and I don't want anything to happen to him or to you," was Orihime's reply before she resumed her previous cheerful demeanor.

Ishida's eyes were wide with disbelief. _'She just defended me! She protected me against her Tatsuki??? Tatsuki, she loves Tatsuki.' _He stood in complete awe at the tiny and wonderful girl who leaned comfortably against him_. 'Incredible! Her powers have grown so much in such a short time! How did she react so fast? There was no incantation.'_ He remembered the reiatsu flare that nearly crippled him in Las Noches; he knew that was her spirit energy. _'Orihime just how powerful are you? And why are you protecting me?' _

Tatsuki starred dumbfounded at the boy to find that he was just as surprised! _'What the hell is with those two? Uh… are they like together now? I don't care what she says; I'll still kill him if he hurts her that is if she lets me!'_

"Here you go Ishida-kun, thank you for showing me the picture. Your Sensei looks like a very nice man. I bet it's so wonderful to have a grandfather."

"Oh wait, where was I?" He scratched the back of his head and tried to remember why he took the picture out in the first place. Oddly it seemed like it was ages ago that he reached for his wallet. "Oh, I remember. Inoue-san I still have to head out for a few hours." He watched the smile waiver from her face, but he was happy that she wasn't as strongly opposed to the idea as she had been. "You hold onto that picture ok Inoue-san. It's the only picture I have of my Sensei. So will you hold onto it until I come back in a few hours? I don't trust anyone else with that picture. It means too much to me."

She still felt an extreme sense of separation anxiety. She was comfortable with him and now she was comfortable with her Tatsuki-chan, but she trusted him. Just being near him made everything so much easier to deal with, even though she couldn't understand why. She still feared that he would leave and never come back, but holding onto the picture he so clearly treasured did help. "I don't want you to go Ishida-kun, but if you promise you'll be back and if you say Tatsuki-chan will stay with me till you do, then I trust you. Please hurry back Ishida-kun." You could tell she was forcing herself to let him go. She was still too scared, and truthfully some part of her still expected the Espada to appear any minute. The boy was the only thing that could chase those vile fears from her soul.

He hefted up his school bag before turning to the one girl he never wanted to be apart from. He gave her another reassuring hug and a lingering kiss on the head before eye-balling Tatsuki in a silent command that she better take very good care of Orihime in his absence.

He was going to be late. He bolted out the door and nodded a curt hello to Yoruichi as he passed her. He couldn't hide the smile on his face that was so stretched it was slowly becoming painful. He'd never been so happy in his life!

------------

Urahara caught Yoruichi outside the shop on her way to check on Orihime.

"Oi… Yoruichi-chan, we were right. It happened last night?"

Yoruichi didn't seem at all surprise with the news her oldest friend had to offer. "Does anyone else know?"

"Just us, there's a strong reiatsu container around the room they've been sleeping in and around both of their apartments. Nothing leaked out. We're safe for the moment."

**END OF CHAPTER****, but not the end of the story**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

'_Text like this' _ thoughts and internal dialogue

Chapters will probably be short. It's easier for me that way.

_**Thank you for the reviews. Though they are coming in slow and no one has anything much to say about anything past the 'Rape' chapter. This is the first story I've ever written, please review. I can't better without help, but if the story is just genuinely not enjoyable I may take it down. I never knew how much time it takes to write this stuff.**_

On that note, the next chapter is almost complete. I wrote them at the same time, so that will be posted soon. The next chapter is kind of sweet.

This is not an Ichigo intensive story, at all.

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**Chapter Edit History**

2/7/08 Grammar and spelling changes posted, no relevant content changed

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**Chapter Summary**

Orihime spends some time alone with Tatsuki and has a bit of a relapse while Ishida takes care of some business.

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**CHAPTER****4**

As Ishida's comforting reiatsu dissipated, Tatsuki watched her friend's mood steadily decline. "Don't worry Orihime," the karate champ squeezed her friend's hand tightly trying to reassure her, "He'll be back, he won't be gone long. Besides kiddo, I think he misses you just as bad." Tatsuki was pleased when Orihime relaxed a bit, even if it was just a tiny bit.

"Come Orihime," she yanked her friend to the wall and sat down pulling Orihime with her. "Talk to me, I miss you. We haven't talked in so long. Hey, Orihime, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess Tatsuki-chan." She fidgeted with the picture of Ishida and her grandfather.

"What happened between you two? I mean, did he do anything like touch you?"

"We slept together Tatsuki-chan, of course he touched me. It feels nice when Ishida-kun touches me."

"Arghhh, Orihime! You had sex with that geek?! I'm going to kill him!"

Orihime's head perked and for the first time since Ishida Uryuu left she took her eyes off the picture, "Sex huh? You said sleep Tatsuki-chan."

"Orihime, you know what I meant."

"I just tried to answer your question Tatsuki-chan. Sorry, I got it all wrong."

Tatsuki watched her friend's face morph from soft and apologetic to hard and serious, the same look she saw earlier when she mockingly punched the Quincy's arm, "and Tatsuki-chan stop being mean to Ishida-kun. I won't let you hurt him."

Taken back, once again, by Orihime's new alter ego 'Orihime - Super Quincy Defender,' "ugh, sorry, it slipped, I swear! Really Orihime, why are you suddenly so attached to him?"

Orihime's eyes danced excitedly, she hoisted the picture of the elder Quincy and the smiling violet eyed boy into the air before pressing it against her chest, over her heart. "Oh Tatsuki-chan, Ishida-kun is wonderful. Do you think he was always so wonderful and I just never noticed him before? You should smell him Tatsuki-chan, he smells so good and he's so handsome and sweet and wonderful sounding. Have you seen his eyes Tatsuki-chan, have you? What did you see?"

"Uh… He has pretty eyes; violet is an odd color for a Japanese guy. Err, a Japanese anyone really, but yeah they're nice."

"You don't notice anything odd about them?"

"Just the color; besides he's always wearing glasses and scowling. I never paid much attention to his eyes. I don't really look at that kind of stuff Orihime. Why?"

"No reason."

"Honestly Orihime, you can tell me," she scooted a little closer to her friend, and lowered her voice, "do you have a crush on Karakura's handicrafts king?"

"Ohh I love handicrafts," she squealed. "He is really good at handicrafts isn't he? Ishida-kun taught me how to sew curves because I couldn't. He's so clever too; he figured out that I couldn't do it because I would only make clothes without shoulders. You know, because shoulders are curves. Ishida-kun was nice and very patient; he taught me how to make shoulders. Later, he said I was really good at it, he said it sometimes takes a long time for people to do it as well as I do. I told Ishida-kun it's because he's such a good teacher. He's so good with his hands Tatsuki-chan. He makes the costumes for the class play every year, did you know that? He does it all by himself too, and that's why they're always so beautiful. Ishida-kun is very talented; and you shouldn't poke fun at him Tatsuki-chan."

"His sovereign reign as Karakura High's dress maker god will undoubtedly withstand the test of time, but you're acting all weird Orihime, I want to know… do you?"

Orihime's assumed a deep scowl, "I'm not talking to you Tatsuki-chan, not until you stop picking on Ishida-kun! Please Tatsuki-chan, I really don't like it."

"I'm sorry Orihime, I really don't mean it. I like him, honest!" She reached over to take a second look at the picture of the boy and his Sensei. Orihime greedily snatched her hand back and hugged the memento against her body. "I don't like him as much as you do apparently!" _'What the hell was that all about?'_ "But, I do like him and truthfully, even though I am a little creeped out by him lately, it's been amazing watching everything he goes through so he can stay by your side here at Urahara's. So… are you going tell me _now_?"

"Maybe Tatsuki-chan, but…" Orihime blushed a little, "but what if it's more." _'I know it's more than a crush, something's very-very different.' "_Tatsuki-chan, I need him. I need Ishida-kun. I don't know why."

"Whoa, well… uh, wow. Ok. Well no one deserves to be happy as much as you do Orihime. When you're happy it seems like everyone else is too, kind of odd actually but true. Look, I'm sorry I pick on him; I've done it for years now so it's probably not going to stop over night. I'll do my best to stop, but don't pound me to mush when I slip up, k?" _'Mental note, don't try and take the picture from Orihime, she's scary!'_ The spikey haired girl smiled genuinely at her long lost friend.

"Ok Tatsuki-chan, deal." The auburn haired beauty smiled back.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're awake, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I guess. Nothing really…" The short lived light hearted banter was at best a pleasant distraction for the Auburn haired girl. Orihime turned to look at her friend, "but I'm scared Tatsuki-chan."

"You're home again Orihime, you're safe; and just in case you don't feel safe, you should know all of those really strange friends of yours have your back, you have more body guards than the damn Emperor!" Tatsuki laughed, "I think if anyone even looks cross at you they'll get their asses kicked to hell and back by each and every member your entire entourage of freakishly powerful death dealing buddies. Honestly, Orihime, I don't know when you got so popular, but I've got to say they all have damn great taste in friends. You're a catch, but remember I found you first!"

"Huh?"

"_Huh_, huh what?"

"My entourage?"

"Yeah, those Shinigami guys; sure as hell beats hanging out with everyone from school. Hell, no wonder you're hardly in town anymore. I can't blame you with entertainment like that, I'd bolt too!"

With a frenzied look on her face, "oh, Tatsuki-chan, I don't want to see them. Please don't get them, I don't want to see anyone else till Ishida-kun comes back, just you Tatsuki-chan, please." Orihime grew increasingly nervous, she was horrified at the thought of being surrounded or touched by people, she didn't want to answer any questions, and she didn't want to be the center of attention.

Tatsuki watched her friend grow slightly pale at the thought of seeing other people. She wasn't surprised by it, merely worried. "Orihime, I wasn't going to get anyone. I promise, but Yoruichi will be here soon I'm sure. She comes by everyday to help me feed you, get you cleaned up, and to change your clothes."

The forlorn girl gasped. "My clothes… took off my clothes?"

"We had to Orihime; we both figured you trusted us enough to care for you when you weren't able to. No one saw you Orihime, I promise. Even to visit, we kept everyone away. Even though everyone was worried about you the only people who have been allowed to see you _at all _are Yoruichi, Ishida because short of having a battle that would bring down the building we couldn't get _him_ to go away, and yours truly, me! We've kept everyone else away so you can get your rest and heal up."

"If Ishida-kun was here why didn't he take care of me?" Flashes, broken bits and pieces of the time she spent with the lone female Espada, Halibel and her 3 female fraccion, Mila-rose, Apache, and Sun-sun clawed at her mind. A shiver ran down her spine and her stomach turned. Halibel and her fraccion were as sinister and cruel as Grimmjow, and they often, the 5 of them, spent time with Orihime together. The first time Orihime fully dissociated was the first time she fell victim to Halibel's fetish for blood play.

"Seriously? Orihime… you're a girl… and…. he's a…_he…_ a boy….! Even if you do have a crush on him he's not supposed to see you like that, and you and I have changed and taken baths together tons of times. There is no way we we're going to leave you alone with a bucket of water, a sponge, and a hormonally charged guy with an open invitation to undress you. Besides, it's the only time Ishida goes to do take care of the stuff he needs to do."

"Oh…" Softly yet quite assuredly, "Well you can stop that now, you and Yoruichi. If I need help again, I only want Ishida-kun to help." Her sweetly stern tone left no room for debate. Though she was still completely unsure how she knew Ishida would never hurt or take advantage of her she didn't question it. It was her one true safety, her only comforting thought. As for modesty, well modesty was no longer much of an issue for Orihime. Having a lone boy care for her in such an intimate way was fine, so long as she trusted him. On the other hand, having _anyone_ she didn't trust anywhere near body was profoundly terrorizing.

Growing increasingly uncomfortable with Orihime's insistence that a boy be allowed to bathe her, Tatsuki wanted to drop the subject completely, but her best friend's seemingly ridiculous and completely surreal attachment to the handicrafts king kept gnawing at her. "Orihime, I'm curious though why do you want to wait for Ishida before you see anyone else?"

She looked down to adoringly stroke and stare at the picture in her hand, "Ishida-kun will never hurt me. Ishida-kun wants to protect me. He said Tatsuki-chan was real and that Tatsuki-chan would keep me safe till he gets back. If he trusts you Tatsuki-chan, I know you won't hurt me."

'_If HE trusts me???'_ "Orihime, I'd never hurt you! You're my best friend! How could you think I'd ever hurt you; all I've ever done is protect you."

"Just like… Ku...K… Kurosaki-kun."

She said his name and suddenly in was clear as day to the dejected karate champ, the sins of Kurosaki became the potential sins of everyone that Orihime knew. He protected her fiercely, she trusted him completely and loved him as adoringly as teenage childhood innocence allowed, and in the end he completely obliterated her. _'THAT FUCKING BASTARD! Damn you Ichigo! What the fuck? Because of you Orihime thinks I could hurt her and she only "trusts" me because some geek she hardly paid attention to a month ago told her I'm ok - after years of friendship!'_ In truth, Arisawa Tatsuki could understands her friends inability to trust anyone, it actually seemed reasonable given what she'd been through, but still, _'why Ishida Uryuu, and why the hell does he act just as irrational and hell bent over her?'_

She said his name, a catalyst. Achingly her thoughts began to race and she could feel her own power rippling right beneath her skin, it was growing slowly, beginning to unravel and pulse. Memories of Kurosaki saving her from harm, eating lunch with her at school, hitting her, and sliding in and out of her; they all refused to be subdued. _'Please not again. I don't want to leave.' _Orihime could feel a slow rising, she knew that once her mind became too much, once she could no longer focus or keep her reiatsu contained she'd slip away again, just like she did every time she fulfilled her duties to Aizen and his captains. The once welcomed means of self preservation was no longer something she desired.

Memories of Ichigo, feelings of betrayal, loss of innocent trust, and recanted shame goaded the slow decent. If it was just one thought in her head, no matter how grotesque or cruel, she could handle it. She just wasn't that lucky. Orihime was so very slowly being overwhelmed by her own powers, by her memories, by her very own self. Her mind began to kaleidoscopically flash any and all memories of her life; it was a slow frightening decent. _'I don't want to slip away, please stop… please.'_ Every time she slipped away she was unsure if she'd ever be able to come back. She remembered begging and pleading to any and all gods, many times, to just slip away and never regain her awareness, _'Please not now…'_ Usually it would happen fast, in an instant but this time was different, she wasn't in immediate danger. She wasn't anyone's lusty prey. This time the journey was slow, like watching a bullet on a collision course with your skull move slowly through the air and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

She clutched the picture tightly; it was a poor substitute for the real thing. "Tatsuki-chan, what time is it? How much longer till Ishida-kun comes back?"

"About two more hours, why?" Arisawa Tatsuki took a closer look, "Orihime, are you ok? You look a little pale and worried? Orihime… can you hear me?"

"I'm fine Tatsuki-chan, really." She said, fueled solely by the desire to not draw attention, they couldn't help her anyway. "I just need Ishida-kun, he'll make it stop." _'Just like he did last night, please hurry Ishida-kun. Please, I don't feel so well.'_

A very excited Quincy boy Hirenkyaku'ed at top speed all the way to the mall. _'She's awake!'_ His mind was pleasantly assaulted with memories of him and the girl of his dreams, touching her, holding her, comforting her, reading to her, smelling her. He rubbed his face fondly where she'd kissed him, _'I miss her... I'll just skip the meeting; today's a special day I need to get back. Need to get back. Woot! Orihime's awake!' _Two weeks, 21 hours a day, of sitting and sleeping on his little mat in the corner of her room. He refused to let her be alone. He refused to allow her to wake up alone, scared, and disoriented. He loved Orihime, and if sitting by her side going stir crazy from cabin fever was the price he had to pay to make sure she wasn't scared when she woke up, well it was a small price to pay; nothing more than a trivial inconvenience that just couldn't be helped.

He sat impatiently waiting for his glasses to be adjusted. In his head he simultaneously did the little Quincy boy happy dance while chiding the ineptitude of the people whom he _required _assistance. _'Fools, how long can it take to adjust glasses?'_ He was itching to be on his way. Sporting his most naturally arrogant _you're beneath me, what the hell do you want _posse he was certain to not attract any unwanted attention from the chipper and, daresay, pleasant people around him. No time to be nice that might hold him back.

'_Hrm, maybe I should get Hime-chan a present while I wait.' _He threw on his spare glasses and prowled through the shops. '_Girls like presents, girls like Orihime should get presents everyday. What's good enough for a girl like Orihime? Argh! I suck at this and crap! I'm broke too._ _ I've never gotten anyone a present before.' _Sighing dejectedly in self defeat,_ 'What the hell can a pauper buy a princess anyway?'_ He cursed himself mentally, the first gift he ever wanted to buy was for the one person that mattered most, and he had no idea how to shop for gifts. _'Maybe this was a bad idea!'_ He turned to head back when something tiny and green caught his violet eye, with a smug smile he slipped into the store to spend his last yen.

'_Not bad, I left Urahara's 45 minutes ago and I'm already home and away from that obnoxious establishment. If all else goes well I could be back with Orihime_ in' he checked his watch, '_ohhh 30 mins maybe.'_ He set his glasses on the counter top and with years of practical experience he expertly tossed his clothes in the laundry basket before stepping into the inviting shower, with his watch on; always wearing the watch. He closed his eyes and indulged in the feeling of the warms water assaulting his face. His body was alive; he felt each singular drop cling tightly to his skin before sliding through the rippled dips and curves of his statuesque frame.

'_Let's get this over with.'_ Ishida cursed his teenage hormones. '_It's her, it's always her. It's never been anyone else.'_

He stood in the shower, one hand leaning against the wall in front of him, his face staring in the ceiling with closed eyes, and his other hand wrapped tightly around his aching manhood. _'It's you Orihime, only you do this.' _The harder he became the more he mentally berated his body. The beautiful broken girl sitting in an empty room at the Urahara Shop had been the object of every one of his fantasies since he hit puberty. For years he found himself shyly admiring her from afar and, like probably like every other boy in school, he'd gotten in the habit of jacking off to her. Everyday since middle school, at least twice a day, sometimes five or six, he found release while her name rolled off his lips. She was never there to help him so it was always just a temporary release of pent up sexual frustration. He was never sated, he was never happy, and he never achieved anything remotely resembling a euphoric basking feeling of afterglow – it was an empty release. Every time he came in his own hands it was just a release and he always seemed to need release.

Now the need for release was worse, it was stronger and it came more often; he was no longer admiring her from afar. Now she was everything in his life. Everywhere he turned he could smell her, his meals were at her side, his reiatsu was always focused on watching over her, everything he chose to do or not do he did while considering her feelings. Every ounce of energy he possessed would put into bringing back the sparkle in her eyes and the sincere joy of life and love that was her heart. His erection was so hard it began go hurt. Something was different today, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was with him, inside of him. He ached to bury himself deep inside of her. "Ohhhh… Orihime." _I should take care of this already. The sooner I do the sooner I can be back with her.'_

He moaned deeply, closed his tired heavy eyes, and rested his burdened head against the wall. "Orihime…my Hime-chan" he whispered for no one. Her name, her name rolling off of his tongue was like a forbidden and private indulgence he would share only with the stale air. He laughed lightly at the thought. _'What would Inoue-san do if she knew she was my Orihime, my Hime-chan? Hmph!' _Disgusted with himself, _'Inoue Orihime will not know the transgressions in my mind. I think I would scare her away. I am a Quincy and a gentleman; I will do no such thing to her!' _

To the gentleman Quincy, Orihime was one of a kind and the world was a better place with her in it. He felt that she always had the purest and most raging heart of fire fueled by food, happiness, and love. Nothing burned brighter than she did. He could tell by the reiatsu of others that just being in Orihime's presence would brighten their day no matter how desolate they felt. It was almost as if her reiatsu reached out to serve pies and ice cream to everyone else's reiatsu. _'Aye, now I'm thinking in terms of food! She's rubbing off on me.' _He couldn't help but laugh at that thought. Still, it was just the way his Orihime was created. She was simply just a natural kind hearted goddess, "my Orihime…" softly rolled off his tongue, a rare kind of natural magic. She was completely oblivious to all of it too, and that was part of her special charm.

She has the most beautiful name. He whispered "Orihime" again once more for no one to hear but himself and the roaring shower.

The Arrancar tried to smother her pure raging heart of fire into nothingness. _'She's not gone yet, Hime-chan is still there.'_ They didn't kill the heart of the fire, not completely. Orihime was a pile of ashes, coals, and searing embers. _'You're a brilliant fire Orihime. You're not dead yet. I promise I'll build your fire back up again. Together will use what's buried deep inside of you, we'll use the burning coals and searing embers deep within your soul to build back your raging fiery heart. I promise. I watched Sensei do it to a camp fire hundreds of times and you'll simply be no different.'_

He stroked harder and faster. He felt a mad rage begin to build inside of at the thought of what they'd done to Orihime. He saw Aizen's face mocking him behind his closed eyes, while he hurt her and forced himself upon her. He imagined himself charging toward sick degenerate, _'do you even know what you tried to rob this world of? What you tried to take from me?' _They were his thoughts, he could be self-fish. _'Aizen you bastard! ' _Ishida's blood was raging, his cock was throbbing, and his body was feverish._ 'I swear on the Pride of the Quincy I'll fix what you broke, even if it is just for me! ORIHIME!!!'_ Suddenly, an explosion of blinding white light burst behind his rested eyelids. He felt his wet hand around his tamed and softening cock knowing it would be short lived.

"Hime-chan…" expectantly, his cock grew hard once again as he washed his previous release off the shower tiles, _'so soft in my arms.'_ Sighing, frustrated with his needs that kept him from returning to her side, visions of last night and this morning danced in his mind. "ORIHIME!!!..." his hand was her sweet wet warmth, his hands were always her, she made him cum again.

"Oi" he proclaimed to no one, "every shower, every damn day, am I destined to continue this routine?" Checking his watch, 15 minutes had passed. Ishida took 10 minutes to finish his daily grooming and before grabbing his school bag and Hime-chan's present before making a much anticipated b-line back to the Urahara shop.

'_Ugh… I hate clothes, their so tedious!'_ Yoruichi stood outside the Urahara shop tugging aggravatingly at her shirt at her shirt. "We'll talk with them briefly when the Quincy gets back."

"Hai, Yoruichi-chan, agreed. We don't want to put too much on the poor girl so soon after waking, but if the choice has in fact been made, the Raien must be notified." Urahara tipped his hat back to better enjoy the amusing site. "Poor Yoru-chan," he feigned mock sincerity, "you always hated how restricting clothes felt. You know, your Soi Fong seems about as pitifully undomesticated as you are, if you keep letting her do your laundry I'll have to insist that you visit more." He ran a savoring tongue over his lips, "that top barely holds your deadly little melons in!" His candid tongue won him a sharp smack upside the head.

"Ha ha, you old hentai! Look Mr. Sandal-Hat." Still tugging uncomfortably "don't let Soi Fong hear that shit. If she catches you googly-eyeing me like that she's likely to try and cut you in two! She'll mess you up pretty bad too boy, she's goooood!" She winked at her long time friend, "Besides, my Little Bee still hates you for fucking me first, and she can hold a grudge for a very long time. Trust me, I know!"

He chuckled then sighed, "Can't blame a guy for looking. Tell your _Little Bee_ to keep up the good work. It's much appreciated."

"You never change do you? Besides, I honestly think she's ruining my clothes on purpose which is preposterous. If she wants me to walk around naked all day, all she has to do is ask." She purred at the thought. "I'll happily oblige, and it'll save her some time, less laundry."

"Hrm, too bad I can't come visit." He took a relaxing seat on the store's front steps. "Oh well, good thing I have plenty of pictures to remind me of our school days."

"You _still_ have those? Well, if you're ever hard up for cash, just sell them. I don't care." She stuck her tongue out and grinned evilly. "Anyway, let's wait a day, till tomorrow to talk to Uryuu and Orihime. Let the girl adjust to being home. That will give us enough time to get a third head in. If all their legendary ducks are in a row, the Raien will know just as soon as we do."

"Hai, I'll send Jinta word to Raien Priestess to join us."

"Yoruichi-sama, Yoruichi-sama, help," The scared frantic voice of a young girl echoed from inside the store. Tatsuki ran down the hall and out the front door, "Yoruichi-sama, please come help, it's Orihime!"

The trio rushed to Orihime's room to find her sitting right where she had been since Ishida's departure.

"Something's wrong with her, she looks fine, she doesn't seem to be in any pain, and she responds when I talk but she's not… she's not there Yoruichi-sama. Please, please help Orihime. What's wrong?"

"Calm down Tatsuki. Both of you, please stand outside the door, keep it shut." She tilted her head up and motioned for Urahara to come closer, she whispered something into his ear before he nodded and slipped out of the room.

Orihime, do you know who I am?

"No."

Yoruichi waved her hand back and forth in front of the young girls face. '_She doesn't blink or flinch, she just looks straight ahead.'_ "Orihime, please stand up."

Orihime complied.

"Now go sit back down on your bed." _'Will she really just do whatever I tell her?'_

Again, Orihime complied.

"Suck your thumb." _'I wonder if the use of her powers is included in this trance of blind submission, and how the hell do we fix this?'_

She sucked her thumb.

"Orihime, make me an orange."

No response.

Pleased that Orihime didn't comply use her powers to bring new matter into existence by rejecting the absence of something, "That's good Orihime." _'Let's hope the flip-side is true too. Her powers are too dangerous to be trusted to the wrong person.' _"Orihime, reject the blanket you are sitting on."

No response.

Pleased once again. Yoruichi pulled out a small dagger and cut her hand. "Orihime, heal me."

Orihime silently complied. In a small fraction of a minute the cut on Yoruichi's hand disappeared. Yoruichi gasped, she remembered the day Orihime was rescued. _'It's true! She can heal herself and others on command, regardless of her mental state, without the verbal incantations, incredible! Aizen you sick fuck, what did you do to this poor girl?'_

"Orihime, wait right here." Yoruichi stepped out of the room, slide the door shut, and joined the other two. "You're turn, do what we discussed. I don't know how to fix this, but at least we can gain some insight into what's going on and keep her safe."

Orihime sat in the center of the empty room, just as she was instructed, when she heard a knock. She did nothing, she didn't not answer.

A smooth husky male voice sounded, "Inoue-san, this is Aizen, may I join you?"

"Hai Aizen-sama," came Orihime's sweet gentle voice.

Urahara slide the door open slightly, and slammed it shut before speaking with a stern and commanding tone, "Inoue-san, stop what you are doing immediately!"

From the other side of the paper screen door came a simple unvarnished, "Hai Aizen-sama." Yoruichi and Tatsuki stared in confusion at the shop keeper cloaked in an Aizen Sosuke gigai. He looked both shamed and furious.

"Inoue-san put your clothes back on and come to me when you are fully dressed." Everyone understood; Orihime was acting on some perverse standing order. She was apparently to be naked before her master, Aizen-sama. Tatsuki gasped, "That's horrible. How can someone do that to Orihime?" They shared a quite moment, each trying to imagine what Orihime had lived through while their blood boiled in rage and cried out in sadness.

"Hai Aizen-sama" Less than a minute later Orihime exited the room and was on her knees bowing low before the reiatsu concealing and gigai drenched Urahara.

"Aizen-sama, what is your pleasure?"

Tatsuki gagged in disgust. The Shinigami sought answers, "Inoue-san, I am hungry, make me an orange."

"Hai Aizen-sama, if that is your will." She held out her hand which glowed briefly before a well ripened orange materialized, it was a wholly new matter of existence. Now he understood exactly what Aizen was trying to do to Orihime. Aizen wanted to control the power and the will of a true god.

A look of complete wondrous amazement dominated the face of the former captain of the 12th Division. The founder and first president of the Shinigami Research Institute looked like he'd just seen his first unexplainable magic trick, only this wasn't magic and Orihime did not know any tricks. He carefully reached out to collect the fruit born of truly divine powers, when a hailstorm of blue arrows ripped the gigai into 100's of tiny pieces, the soul of the elusive and powerful Shinigami lay dead.

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**END OF CHAPTER**

**If I lost you, I'm sorry. This was a tedious chapter for me to write. For a better explanation of what is happening to Orihime in the chapter, please read the next chapter's Author's Notes.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

EXPLANATION OF ORIHIME'S BEHAVIOR

_In ability to focus ones thoughts anxiety_

_In ability to control ones reiatsu anxiety_

_Harmful situations anxiety_

_Anxiety for Orihime dissociation_

_Sorry about that last chapter it was a bitch for me to write. I can write technically and factual papers well enough, but I'm new to creative writing. To help anyone who is lost…_

_Orihime has sort of a multiple personality disorder (it's not entirely text book MPD though). Her MPD'ness/dissociation is how the special part of Orihime, the part we all love so much, was kept safe despite everything that happened in Las Noches. Her protector personality (when she dissociates) is purely submissive and follows orders, otherwise she is non-responsive. She recognizes very little in this state. _

_She welcomed her dissociations in Las Noches because it kept her from feeling any pain, but now that she's home she doesn't want them to keep happening. _

_Like many MPD's, the core personality has little to no knowledge of the other personality or the memories of the things that happened while functioning as that alternate personality. I'm not making her case of multiple personality disorder all that bad really, I swear. _

_Orihime no longer trusts any of her friends because she trusted Ichigo and Ichigo betrayed her. Orihime, because of Ishida's reiatsu flare she instinctually, all it an awakened awareness, knows that Ishida is everything she believes him to be and until she learns how to handle her new power developments, and until she can learn how to reintegrate into society, and reintegrate her broken mind she will trust only Ishida and rely on his greatly simply because she knows she can ('why' is later in the story). _

_She is fairly normal, when he is near (aside from any sexual aggression which is simply the byproduct of her own sexual awakening. Orihime is unstable when Ishida is not around, this will also be explained later._

_I tried (and possibly failed horribly) in the last chapter trying to convey the complexity of her inner turmoil (as listed above). _

_Her 'budding godlike power' issues are not related to her fragile mentality except -- if she feels herself loosing control of her power (some part of her knows she is dangerous) it does act as a trigger to dissociate into the other personality to help maintain control._

**Thanks to those who continue reading (woot! polarissakura!). Since I don't get many reviews I've become content to watching the story stats page to see how often my story is accessed. **

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**Chapter Edit History**

2/7/08 Chapter originally posted without being proofread

2/7/08 Grammar and spelling changes posted, no relevant content changed

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**Chapter Summary**

Some things only a deity can do, Orihime and Uryuu leave the Urahara Shop, Cupid and Psyche join the cast, Orihime takes a shower, Uryuu's boxers are _all _ white with Quincy crosses stitched into them (guess who did that), Orihime picks Uryuu's nose.

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**CHAPTER****5**

PREVIOUS CHAPTER RECAP

_(Urahara Kisuke disguised as Aizen to see how a dissociated Orihime will respond.)_

"_Inoue-san, I am hungry, make me an orange."_

"_Hai Aizen-sama, if that is your will." She held out her hand which glowed briefly before a well ripened orange materialized, it was a wholly new matter of existence. Now he understood exactly what Aizen was trying to do to Orihime. Aizen wanted to control the power and the will of a true god._

_A look of complete wondrous amazement dominated the face of the former captain of the 12__th__ Division. The founder and first president of the Shinigami Research Institute looked like he'd just seen his first unexplainable magic trick, only this wasn't magic and Orihime did not know any tricks. He carefully reached out to collect the fruit born of truly divine powers, when a hailstorm of blue arrows ripped the gigai into 100's of tiny pieces, the soul of the elusive and powerful Shinigami lay dead._

END PREVIOUS CHAPTER RECAP

"ORIHIME!!!..." It was the battle cry that heralded the assailment of Quincy arrows.

Yoruichi's kidou bound the furious Quincy before she cradled her childhood friend in her lap. "No, noooooo Kisuke-chan!" Tears clouded her vision, "Uryuu you fool!"

"What's wrong with Orihime, what's going on!" He demanded, vehemently fighting to break free from the kidou's power to get to Orihime. "Why the HELL did he look like Aizen?!" Grrr… he struggled violently. "Let me go now Yoruichi, you have a lot of explaining to do!"

Orihime sat quietly on her knees. She neither blinked nor flinched at the scene; she merely looked ahead patiently and obliviously awaiting her next duty.

"Damn it!" _'How the hell is he even moving at all?'_ "Ishida Uryuu, be quiet! We've done nothing to Orihime, but you killed Urahara!"

Backed up against the wall tightly, Tatsuki thought she'd collapse without its steady presence. "It's true Ishida, Orihime and I were just talking and she got nervous and panicked. When it stopped, she was… well she was like that." She motioned to the silent unobservant girl on the floor.

"Be still and quiet, that's an order! I'll answer your questions later, but right now," her blood soaked hands brushed Urahara's sandy blonde hair tenderly off his face, "right now he only has one hope." Her eyes shot back to pierce through the still struggling Quincy, "and I won't let _you _ruin it!" The former Shinigami princess re-enforced her binding kidou on the restless Quincy and turned to the girl, "please Orihime please make him as he was, fix him - heal him. Please, you're his only chance."

Once again, just as she had moments ago, Orihime silently complied. It was bit longer than the small fraction of a minute it took to heal the cut on Yoruichi's hand, but both tasks were performed with a stunning lack of effortby the girl. In awe they watched the distant girl's reiatsu lightly flicker about her body, it took only a mere couple of minutes before the old hentai of a Shinigami showed signs of life.

Ishida was knocked from his stunned stupor by a less threatening tone, "If I drop the kidou will you shut up and behave until he's fully healed and we've had time to explain?"

A silent affirmative nod was his only response before he rushed to Orihime's side. Yoruichi's inquisitive eyes watched the young couple closely after situating the almost fully recovered merchant comfortably in a corner to support his body.

Ishida reached out to softly trail the backs of his fingers against her soft warm cheek. Before he could react her arms wrapped around his neck, she hugged him fiercely.

All Tatsuki could do was sit back and watch everything. _'Holy crap, is her life always like this? One potential heart attack after the next and acts of god! Breath Arisawa, breath, don't pass out.'_

"Yay, Ishida-kun you came back! I'm so happy your back. Please don't go again," she pled.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her just as tightly. "Are you ok Inoue-san? Is everything alright? What happened?"

"It's ok now Ishida-kun. Tatsuki and I were just talking, then I didn't feel so well, but now you're here." She pulled back from their hug, apparently still completely unaware of the now two pairs of Shinigami eyes watching her. "Oh, Ishida-kun, I took care of your picture for you just like you asked." Never once did she set his picture down. "Here you go Ishida-kun, thank you for trusting me with it."

'_What the hell happened here? I wasn't gone that long! Orihime's safe, that's all that matters. I'll just wait for Yoruichi's explanation.'_ He placed the picture back into his wallet and slid a comforting hand in her small one and claimed a spot on the floor next to his Orihime. "Ok Yoruichi, ready when you are. What the hell is going on here?"

With the exception of discovering Orihime's ability to reject death, the miraculous resurrection of Urahara Kisuke was entirely unimportant!

Orihime wiggled closer, she held his hand with both of hers, and placed her head on his shoulder. "Tatsuki-chan, when did I leave the room, and why are you standing over there?" Orihime looked up and smiled brightly at her bewildered friend, "Come Tatsuki-chan, you can sit next to me."

On still shaky legs, Tatsuki complied.

They each took turns explaining what happened. At first, Orihime panicked, she thought they implied that Aizen had found her. She held onto Ishida for dear life. Her actions did not go unnoticed by Sandal-Hat and Yoruichi. _'They are entirely attached to one another!'_

Orihime and Ishida were both in equal disbelief when they told the young couple that Orihime had made an orange. In a universe where matter could be neither created nor destroyed, she created and they were quite certain she could destroy just as easily. They chose to forego explaining the most likely reason for harboring such power. They would let the Raien Priestess explain that part later.

They explained that they did not understand why Orihime disassociated, but it was very clear that the dissociation was a defense mechanism she employed under Aizen's special care. It was also very clear that the separation from Ishida triggered it since he only had to touch her once to instantly and fully reanimate her.

"Why was Urahara-san dressed as Aizen?" Ishida's biggest concern, he wanted answers. He silently demanded why they had the audacity to place Orihime before an Aizen replica.

"Calm down Ishida. Orihime wasn't entirely Orihime. The mental state of separation that she was in guaranteed that our attempts to gather information, using an Aizen doppelganger, was not something that would have negatively effected her. We would not subject Orihime to danger Ishida. You should know that! It was a good opportunity for us to find out what plans Aizen had for Orihime."

"And… what did you find out?" Ishida looked cold and emotionless, inside he was irritated, greatly annoyed, and every part of his body that was pressed up against Orihime tingled.

The cool relaxed voice of Urahara cut in before his purple haired friend could take the reigns. "That is something we'd like to talk with you about tomorrow. If you'll indulge me, there someone else I wish to speak with first."

"Fine, what time tomorrow?" Ishida had every intention of getting the rest of the answers!

"3:00 PM, oh and Ishida-san, don't you have anything to say? You did kill me." It rolled off his tongue like a casual greeting.

Ishida's face hardened, Orihime thought she heard him sneer. She felt his body tense against hers. "As a matter of fact I do Urahara-san." His resolve was fortified, "If you ever place Orihime in front of an image of someone who hurt her again, I won't hesitate to kill you… again!"

Tatsuki couldn't believe this was the school geek! The whole killing thing was too much for her to grasp, but between his own displays of chivalry, tenderness, and bravery that she'd witness herself and Orihime's incessant Ishida worshipping every chance she got, Tatsuki was starting think that she may have indeed judged him unfairly. The handicrafts king was nothing at all like she thought. _'So so sooooo very different in school. Totally reserved and elusive!'_

Sandal-Hat's arms flew up in surrender at the Quincy's death promise. That was apparently the answer he was expecting.

Orihime hugged his arm closer. She liked how protective he was of her. "Ishida-kun, am I staying here tonight? Will you be with me?"

Yoruichi stepped in for the silenced shop keeper. "You're both welcome to continue staying here, but you're under no obligation. It is your choice where to go, but you both must remain together. We'll explain that tomorrow."

The Quincy leaned closer to the girl on his arm and covered his face with his hand. He smiled brightly for only her to see and teasingly waggled his eyebrows, "looks like you're stuck with me." His cold posture resumed when he turned back to the Shinigami pair. Orihime giggled jovially at Ishida's covert silliness, the sound of her laughter demanded that he bite his inner lip to keep from smiling adoringly at her.

"3:00 PM is fine." He nodded curtly. "Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, we'll be here."

Orihime leaned in to whisper in the boy's ear, "Ishida-kun, I don't want to stay here. Can we go to your place?"

The blue haired boy went rigid; her warm breath wisped across his ear and sent intense jolts of power through his body. The words sunk in a moment later. _'Did she just ask to spend the night at my place? Oh wow, uh… I've never even had company before, certainly never a girl. Argh! Orihime's not just any girl, what if she doesn't like it?'_ He whispered back, "are you sure you wouldn't rather go to your apartment_?"_

A resoundingly sweet, "I'm sure" from the astoundingly sweet girl attached to his side ended the debate. She was the boss.

"We'll be at my apartment should you need to reach us."

Tatsuki's mouth dropped to the floor, '_hentai!'_

The Quincy and the Princess gathered their school bags, "Tatsuki-chan do you have Ishida-kun's number?"

"Yeah, I do. I know how to find you; he's in the school directory." She waved bye to her friends before gathering her stuff to follow their lead. It was time to go home; her mother was waiting with dinner.

"Tatsuki, wait up a moment. Please give this to your mother." She handed the bewildered girl a sealed envelope.

The karate champ took the envelope from Yoruichi, "my mother? Why? How do any of _you _know my mother?" She flipped the envelope around her fingers looking for some clues that explain anything.

Yoruichi laughed, "Please just do it."

"Uh, ok sure thing." She turned to head out the door before pausing, "Yoruichi-san, Urahara-san, will Orihime be ok?"

All three of them heard a freakishly loud high pitched squeal and ran to the source, Orihime. They stopped when they saw the couple was safe in front of the store. Orihime smiled brightly cradling and oogling the two little green things nestled a small plastic box. Ishida smiled just as big, watching every move she made.

"Thank Ishida-kun, I love them! They're so tiny and cute!" She kissed his cheek, unaware of the small audience of three that watched from inside the shop. The audience giggled to themselves when they watched the blush burn across the happy boys face.

"I'll name them Cupid and Psyche!" She beamed radiantly, "let's take them home." He blushed deeper. She laced her fingers with his and followed his lead.

"Did I see that right? Uh, Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, did he just give her baby turtles?"

The Shinigami pair couldn't hold back any longer. Laughter spilled freely. "Hai, yes Tatsuki, it seems he did." Urahara squeaked out.

"Well there's your answer," Tatsuki looked confusedly at Yoruichi, "I think Orihime will be just fine, don't you agree?"

Tatsuki had to admit, they were starting to make a rather envious couple, "I suppose, we'll just wait and see. Right now I'm worried about those poor turtles. I hope Orihime doesn't try and cook them." She bounded out the shop and headed home.

"What a day huh?" It was pointless for Yoruichi to fight her smile.

"Hai, what a day, it's nice to be alive… errr… what the hell is a Shinigami anyway?"

Yoruichi kissed her friends cheek and ran off, "By Hentai, I'll see you tomorrow!" Yoruichi couldn't wait to get home, lay down in her Little Bee's lap, and tell her koibito all about her day. Fits of laughter haunted her again, "Oh dear! Soi Fong's going to be so happy when she finds out Kisuke was killed, and so pissed when she finds out he was revived." She couldn't wait to see the look on her koibito's face, but first…_ 'Where can I get some turtles too?'_

Orihime hated the walk home, there were people everywhere. She held on to Ishida's hand so tightly she could swear she heard bones breaking. He was sweet, he tried to talk to her the whole way home to distract her, his thumb tenderly caressed her hand, he carried both there school bags, he purposely took the least congested path to get back to his apartment, and he occasionally stepped right in between her and some unknown stranger when he knew a body collision couldn't be avoided. She was grateful, very grateful. _'Ishida-kun is good to me; he takes good care of me.' _She resolved to pay him back later.

Ishida was nervous when they reached his apartment. It wasn't much, literally! He turned the key and opened the door, bowing slightly for her to proceed.

She looked around eagerly. She wanted to come to his place so she could learn all about him, plus she was certain everything would smell like him, she was right. She loved the way he smelled. She wasn't at all surprised by what she saw. Everything was so neat and clean. There was no television. He had a small and very elegant sewing table setup at one end of the couch. The walls were bare, not a single picture anywhere. His place was plain and simple, very minimalist.

He watched as she looked around. Occasionally she would run her hand over his furniture, but always with a simple smile on her face. It calmed his frazzled nerves. Well, until she went into his bedroom. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever believe Orihime would ever be in his bedroom, he ran in after her but was too late.

"Ishida-kun?" She stood near the night stand holding a picture frame.

'_Ugh, I'm done for. She's going think I'm a hentai and make me take her back to the shop.' _He voice evaded him; nervously he spoke, "Hai, Inoue-san?"

"Can we put a picture of you in here too?" She gazed at the single picture frame that housed two pictures, one picture was several years old of a younger flatter Orihime from the first year of middle school and one of her from the beginning of this current semester. She thought she looked lonely in the pictures, she wanted him there too, "and if there's enough room can we put Cupid and Psyche in here too." She smiled sweetly, "I don't want them to feel bad."

"You want a picture of the turtles and me in there too?" He was stumped, could it be this easy! Every time he felt uncomfortable, she put him at ease and made him feel peace, _'and I can't believe she really liked my present too!' _

She set the picture down and reclaimed his arm. "Can I take a shower Ishida-kun?"

"Sure, of course. Let me get you a towel and a washcloth. Did Tatsuki bring you clothes to change into?"

"Nope, do you have something I can wear instead?" She idly glanced around. _'This is where Ishida-kun sleeps. I best he looks cute sleeping.'_ She envied his bed covers; all she wanted to do was be near him, to touch him, he somehow soothed her restless reiatsu. Her mind and her powers were much easier for her to control with him near. That and she liked the way she felt in his arms.

He couldn't believe she'd be naked in his shower, the same shower that he jacks off in. Cursed hormones, it was disgusting and alluring all at once, _'Orihime will be in my shower.'_ Shivers ran up his spine as he dug through his drawers to get her something to wear, _'t-shirt and boxers should be fine.' _

A girly giggle caught his attention. Orihime was attentively watching him go through his drawers. He pulled out a pair of boxers and she giggled.

"What?"

"Ishida-kun, all of your boxers look the same." She held up the boxers he gave her to wear for the night, white boxers with a blue Quincy cross meticulously stitched on one leg.

"Hmph," He shooed her off to the bathroom.

Orihime finished up her shower. She slipped on the clothes Ishida had loaned to her for the evening, gathered up her dirty clothes and her used towel and stepped out of the bathroom. "Ishida-kun, do you have a washing machine?"

"Hai, let me show you where it is." For a brief moment everything happened in slow motion as time lagged considerably, he felt as if he were living in the nostalgic moment of a poorly directed romance picture. Orihime was stunning! She was wearing his clothes, he never expected her to look so sexy in his clothes. He starred in at her goofily, completely enraptured at the innocent picture of unrivaled natural beauty which stood only a few steps from his grasp. Her hair was un-pinned, free flowing, and adorably disheveled from being towel dried. The loose strands and fallen bangs framed her face and complemented the slight body flush that lingered from the hot shower. She looked nothing short of ravishingly sexy wearing his white Quincy crossed boxers that brushed against her soft skin. They highlighted every sensual curve of her silky toned legs. His white cotton Karakura High Handicrafts club cotton t-shirt was several sizes to large for her petite body but still stretched out nicely against the force of her large perky breasts.

It was Orihime's turn to blush under his intense scrutiny.

"Inoue-san, you look… look… you look incredible!" He took a few steps toward her and gently ran the back of his fingers down the side of her face before cupping her cheek in his palm, "you're beautiful!"

Her blush deepened as she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek deeper into his palm and sweetly nuzzled him. "I'm glad Ishida-kun. I'm glad you think so." She'd hoped he liked her, she wasn't sure. He'd never said anything before about how she looked.

He pulled her into a tight hug and savored the feeling of her body pressed against his while he combed his fingers through her damp hair. "I'm sorry, you needed the washing machine didn't you?" He didn't want to let her go but managed to pull apart just far enough to get snared in her vulnerable grey eyes, "you really are. You're the sweetest, kindest, smartest, and most beautiful girl I've ever known Inoue-san. You're wonderful, you always have been."

Tears started to well up in her eyes. No one has ever said such wonderful things to her, no one has ever made her feel as wonderful as he does, no on has ever been so gentle and loving before.

He smiled sweetly at her and with his thumb he brushed her lone tear away. He brushed her bangs aside and kissed her forehead, then eyebrow, before closing the distance to shyly brush his lips across hers. His lips tentatively teased her lower lip; his movements were slow, uncertain, and deliberate. The restless feelings of heat, desire, and intense need that were slowly building were new, virgin feelings to both of them. He pressed his forehead to rest against hers; the tips of their noses touched and lingered lightly. He reached up to cradle, her face in the palms of both his hands. Their warm ragged breathes taunted one another. The yearning intensified, elicited by the hypersensitive and acute awareness of their closeness, the slightest movements and the faintest innocent touches felt like electricity.

He took a chance, hoping he was right and pressed his lips firmly against hers. A soft aching girly moan told him he made the right choice. He slid his tongue along her upper lip and then along her bottom lip before gently nibbling. The weight of her small body was slowly pressing deeper into him. He felt her grip around his waist tighten as she tried to pull him in closer.

All of her body's energy migrated to the places where their bodies touched. She slowly sunk and deeper into him, into the exquisite ways he made her feel. His velvety tongue pressed gently between her lips, begging for her permission to explore deeper. Letting her know what he wanted but declaring the choice was hers. She parted her lips slightly and moaned huskily into his mouth as the wet warmth of his tongue slid past the fallen barrier to begin its exploration. He started with the soft underside of her of her upper lip against her teeth, occasionally taking slow detours to explore the silken texture of her inner cheeks before showing the same careful attention to the underside of her delicate bottom lip. Briefly he raked the front of his tongue across the back of her teeth before she felt the underside of his sensuous muscle affectionately massage the top of hers. Fondly he slipped his warm tongue under hers and continued to massage just as sweetly.

He loved the soft muffled moans she made into his mouth and was rewarded with a long and deep sensual sound when he pulled her tongue into his own mouth. He suckled softly at first, and then greedily just before they both broke free panting, in desperate need of air.

Their breaths were heavy, their lips were puffy, the sensitive skin around their mouths was rosy, their bodies were on fire and at first, the flustered girl and the flustered boy could only manage in unison a simple low spoken, "Wow!"

Once the deprivation of oxygen was no longer a concern the violet eyed Quincy boy momentarily wallowed in the afterglow of his first kiss, it was amazing and it was with the only girl he'd ever loved. "Inoue-san, you were my first kiss" he said as he gratuitously basked in her delicate freshly showered feminine scent.

They both held each other tighter, they couldn't be close enough. "You were my first kiss too Ishida-kun." The kiss, it was an innocence left unspoiled by Aizen and the Espada. She looked up at him and smiled brightly, "We were each others first kiss!" She could feel his heart trying to pound through his chest. "Can we do it again Ishida-kun?"

That was all that was needed for the sweet mood of innocence to disappear. Hunger and lust filled them both. A frantic need and desire burned in their eyes. He grabbed her face and aggressively seized her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held the back of his head in place, careful to make sure his lips didn't fall from hers. Their tongues battled back and forth, each equally desperate to explore everything about the other.

The tall boy and the tiny girl strained to keep the distance between them filled. Refusing to pull their eager lips apart but both in acute need of a better position, he hoisted her off the ground; she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, and pressed her pelvis into his solid stomach. The flesh on the bare skin of her thighs burned where his strong hands held her in place, supporting her light weight.

It was his turn to moan deeply, the girl wrapped around him craved him as much as he craved her. His moan deepened and turned to a whine when he felt her strong legs clamp around him. _'Only two thin layers of cotton separate are keeping her most sensitive and desirable body parts from rubbing against my bare stomach.'_ He wanted to touch her, caresses her, he wanted to move his hands over the contours of her body. Driven by auto pilot he carried her to the bathroom and carefully set her down on the sink counter. With freed hands he held her face in place and kissed her even more fervorently before sliding his palms down along the shapely curves of her body and settling them to rest under her t-shirt, just above the elastic of her the boxers. His hands wrapped around her bare skin just above her hips.

Desire stood steadfastly in place of rational thought for both.

Her hands dropped from around his neck, she pulled back just slightly from the kiss, and he felt something brush past his face. In an instant the feverish kisses came to a screeching halt; Orihime wasn't wearing a bra. Ishida dug his fingers into her waist where he held her still; he was now face to face with what he'd always imagined were the most perfect breast ever made. The most beautiful and precious girl in the world was sitting on his bathroom counter top with her legs wrapped around his waist, lips puffy and red from kissing him, and she wore nothing but a pair of his favorite Quincy boxers. He stared, she just giggled.

She thought he was so cute the way the unexpected debut of her breasts turned him into a deer caught in the headlights, almost literally. She was excited, _'He likes them! At least I think he does, I really hope he does!'_ She wanted him to like her breasts, because he liked her. It was important to her. The boys at school always noticed her chest. Some even shamelessly drooled when she was near. Chizuru was always trying to touch Orihime's breasts and bury her face in Orihime's chest, and the Espada they desired her tits greatly… Orihime's chest always seemed to be more important than Orihime herself. Always that was until him, Ishida Uryuu wanted the whole girl, not just her body.

She sat patiently and ran her hands through his hair. "You can touch them Ishida-kun." He was so shy and innocent. She watched him intently, happy to be with him. She studied him; she lived vicariously through his sweet natural reactions to his own comings of age. Something the Aizen had taken from her, something she would never get back.

"Huh…?" Ishida loosened his grip on her hips and stood straight up. He reached over and picked up the Karakura High Handicrafts Club t-shirt Orihime had just taken off. It took every ounce of discipline to concentrate on her eyes. "Orihime, you don't have to do that. That's not why you're here. That's not why I'm with you. I don't ever want you to feel like I'm taking advantage of you." He offered her the shirt, "please, put it back on."

She felt rejected and bashful instincts took over, she grabbed the shirt from him and crossed her arms over her chest to cover herself. "You don't like them Ishida-kun?" She'd never offered herself to anyone but him, and he was rejecting her.

He could see the sadness and rejection she felt, it lit her face like a neon sign, "truthfully?"

She nodded.

He smiled shyly and his face turned a brighter shade of pink than Orihime had eve seen on him before. "They're just like the rest of you… extraordinary, incredible. I… I don't think a more perfect girl or set of breast could ever be made." He'd never been so embarrassed or achingly hard in his life. His confession magnified his embarrassment 10 times over, but he figured he'd even the playing field a bit. Maybe she wouldn't feel so bad if he embarrassed himself.

"Then why don't you want to touch me Ishida-kun?" She felt like crying. _'Did Aizen make me so grotesque that even someone who wants me is disgusted by what've become?'_ Were the malevolent, unwanted, and uncaring touches of the Espada the only thing she'd ever know? She wanted his warmth, his sweet, innocent, and loving touch to purify her. For some reason since last night she he needed him! She needed him, she trusted him, she craved him, she didn't know why but without him she couldn't tell up from down. He made her feel less crazy. Without him to stay her course Orihime knew she would suffocate.

"Please please, Inoue-san, don't get me wrong. I do want to touch you, I really-_really_ do! How could I not _want_ to touch you? But is it right? Just because I want to doesn't make it right, I mean you were just raped Inoue-san! It just doesn't seem right." His erection had been smothered. He could feel his heart sinking painfully in his chest. _Orihime_ and _rape_ should never have reason to be in the sentence. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm scared I will. I don't want you to do something with me you'll regret. I don't want you to regret being with me."

Orihime's face softened and she slipped back into the soft cotton t–shirt that smelled like him. She completely misread his rejection, _'he does want me! He wasn't rejecting me, he's just afraid of hurting me. Ishida-kun is so sweet, so thoughtful, so wonderful, and so entirely-too entirely chivalrous!'_

"Inoue-san, I've been in love with you since middle school. Being with you would be a dream come true. You're my dream girl. You aren't ready to be intimate with someone so soon, and I don't want you to touch me and think of them. I want to help you. I don't ever want you to think that I took advantage of you."

"Arigato for everything Ishida-kun, but… but" he watched as her fists clenched and her face turned hardened, stern and serious. "Please, _don't_ ever again tell me that I that was raped as if that could ever somehow slip my mind! If you want to help Ishida-kun… ask me how I feel. Ask me why I've chosen to do something before concluding that I'm helpless or that I don't have a good reason for the choices I make. Don't treat me like I'm a porcelain doll that can't think for myself!" She wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged tighter than she ever had before. "Please don't be angry at me Ishida-kun, I didn't mean to get mad. Please don't treat me like everyone else I care about does. Please, please don't go. I don't ever want you to leave me."

He hugged her back just as tightly, each lost in their own thoughts. The startled Quincy boy had never seen Orihime even the slighted bit upset; he'd never seen her stand up for herself. _'She must have really been pissed to show even that much!_' He didn't like being on the receiving end of her displeasure. A mild show of anger from Orihime was scarier than the 2nd Division Captain with intent to kill. "I've never seen you like that before."

"I'm different now… after being there, after what they did." Orihime paused when for a moment, "I'm different now after what happened with you, last night. I don't understand most of it; I just know I'm different I'm not the same as I once was… you might not love me anymore Ishida-kun. You just don't know it yet."

"Look at me Orihime."

She obliged his command easily and met his ethereal gaze, 'he called me Orihime.' "Uryuu… I like Uryuu better. Ishida-kun, is it ok if I call you Ury-kun?"

He chuckled, "I'd be most honored if you did Hime-chan." He leaned in to claim her lips for a long, tender, sweet kiss. "Don't ever ask me not to leave you again Hime-chan. I'm with you for as long as you'll have me." It was her turn to kiss him.

"Ury-kun?" She took a break from his welcoming lips to reach up and remove his glasses.

"Hm?"

"Why do your eyes look like that Ury-kun. They've been that way since last night. It's so incredible."

He looked over her head into the bathroom mirror. "I don't see anything different." He leaned closer toward the mirror and tilted his head up and down and side to side, trying different angles, "what do you see?"

"Lots of energy, lots of light, reiatsu maybe, power? I don't Ury-kun what it is, but it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It's like you have an endless fireworks finale of white and gold bursting behind your eyes."

"Do they look that way now?"

"Hai, since last night. I can see it better in the dark too, like a bright light in a dark room."

"No one else has said anything. Wait, are you telling me that my eyes glow in the dark Orihime?" He felt toilet paper and small fingers lightly clamp the bottom of his nose before a he was commanded to 'blow'. "Uh, Inoue-san?"

"That's Hime-chan to you mister, and you should blow. Trust me; I can see everything up there with you hovering over me like that to get to the mirror."

Ishida backed away from the mirror and blew. "Uh… thanks, I think? I can't remember the last time someone else did that to me."

"Look up." She surveyed the results of her their teamwork. "Yay, it's gone." She crumpled up the tissue and dropped it in the bathroom trash can. "Maybe I'm the only one who can see it then."

"Huh?" _'Did Orihime nearly just pick my nose? No one's done that to me since I was 3. It's weird, kind of cute, more weird than cute, but now I know Quincy boogers won't run her off.'_

"Your eyes, if no one else has said anything, then maybe I'm the only one who can see it."

"Oh yeah that. When did you say my eyes changed?"

"Last night when your reiatsu flared, and they don't glow in the dark but they are all lit up. It's more like tiny explosions than a glow. Like in science class, when Sensei Takahashi showed us those pictures of subatomic particles colliding, that's what it looks like."

"Odd." He flipped off the lights and kept searching himself in the mirror. "You've always been a lot better than the rest of us were in detecting and identifying spirit energy. I wish I could see it. Maybe Urahara or Yoruichi will know. We should ask them." _'My eyes explode; I'd like to see that! I wonder what it is that's causing it. All since my reiatsu flare last night. Ohhhh… damn. I was wondering when that was going to come up.' _Uh, Hime-chan, about that. About last night, he began to ramble on, I'm really sorry about that. I don't know what came over me and it wasn't fair of me to do. I couldn't stop it, I tried. I snapped. I couldn't stop thinking of… well, I don't remember much of what happened, just that it did. Did I hurt you at all?"

"My butt's cold."

"Oh, uh… here." He backed away from the bathroom countertop and helped her down. _'What happened last night? Does she not want to talk about it? Did she even hear me? Did I do something last night that hurt or scared her?'_

"We should go to bed Ury-kun."

"Uh ok, sure, give me a moment to get grab some clothes to sleep in, a pillow, and a blanket then I'll be out of your way. You can have my bed, I'll take the couch."

Minutes later Ishida exited the bathroom dressed and ready for bed sporting a white t-shirt and black pajama pants. Orihime had never seen him dressed in anything other than his Quincy battle garb or a button down shirt and pleated slacks. He was always so covered up and starchy looking. He looked so different in casual relaxing clothes. '_Ishida-k…I mean Ury-kun isn't just cute, he's gorgeous!'_ For the first time she noticed how broad his shoulders where, how nicely the cotton shirt draped over his wide chest, and how strong his usually hidden neck was. She watched him bend over to pick up the pillow and the definition of his well toned 'V' shaped back press against the soft stretchable fabric_. 'I bet Ury-kun looks really good naked!'_ She blushed when she realized what she was thinking.

"Hime-chan, is everything ok? Do you need something?... Oh and uh, you're blushing." He felt the need to point that last part out. _'I wonder what's going on in the cute little head of hers. I wonder if she's thinking of me?'_ He couldn't help but smile; it was now a very likely probability that it actually was him she was thinking of. _'A couple of days ago it would have been just wishful thinking that she'd be blushing because of me.'_

"You can't pick on me if you're blushing too Ury-kun! " She stuck out her tongue and jumped into is little twin sized bed. "Is that what you always sleep in?"

"No, not really. I usually just sleep in boxers, why?"

"I was just thinking, it's really not fair."

"What's not?"

"You saw me in just boxers."

"I see… you have a point." He disappeared back into the bathroom. "Give me a second, I can fix that. Just need to brush my teeth while I'm in here too" he hollered out from the other side of the door.

Orihime sat in the middle of the bed restlessly fidgeting with her fingers. Sometimes it was just easier to talk to a door than a boy, "Ury-kun… Ury-kun please don't sleep on the couch tonight."

Orihime didn't notice that Ishida poked his head out of the bathroom door to hear her better, toothbrush in mouth hard at work. _ 'She looks so sad.' _His brushing slowed the longer he looked at the sad girl sitting on his bed._ 'I don't like it when she looks like that, but she's been through a lot and these moods swings can't be helped. It'll take time for her to heal. Hime-chan, we're going to get you smiling all day everyday! I promise.' _He disappeared back into the bathroom to finish up while he continued to listen to the rest of what she had to say. _'I wonder why she's so sad all of a sudden. She was joking a minute ago.' _

"I was hoping… if it's not too much trouble I mean; that you might be willing to sleep with me again, hold me like you did last night. I really liked that, and I slept so well too."

Before she got the last syllable out she felt his strong arms wrap around her from behind. He was already in bed and half under the covers, "As you wish Hime-chan; anything for you!"

She mockingly poked him in the stomach, "Did you actually just Hirenkyaku from the bathroom to the bed?"

"Hai, I missed you. I was in a hurry!" He nuzzled his face in her neck, his heart warmed when she giggled.

"You're silly Ury-kun. I never knew you had it in you." She flipped around in his arms and came face-to-face with his bare chest. Orihime let out that high girly squeal again, dogs from miles around could hear, "I get to see you in just boxers? You changed for me?" She freed herself from his grasp and took an eager nose dive under the covers to see what the body of boy she was quickly discovering she didn't want to live without really looked like.

Ishida was fighting the desire to let loose a full rolling laughter. That was until he heard a sharp "Eeeeeap!" come from under the covers. He ducked his own head under to find his Orihime with one hand clamped over her mouth looking wide eyed and guilty, her turn to be the deer in the headlights. Ishida could no longer help himself, he laughed so hard he began to cry. He had no idea what she was up to, but he couldn't help himself, the situation amused him to no end; it was the cutest thing he'd ever been a part of. Orihime was just being the Orihime he knew, and that would always be enough to make him happy.

"Thank you Hime-chan, I can't remember the last time I laughed like that. What's going on anyway? Why do you look and sound like you just got caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar?" His laughter renewed when he pictured that look she had on her face a moment ago.

She just stuck her tongue out again and shot him another mock glare before pulling the covers off of both of them and pouncing the laughing Quincy to straddle his waste. "Ishida Uryuu," she poked his chest; she was very serious, "where did you get a body like _that_, you look like a professional gymnast, and why do you hide it?!?"

This was getting better and better for him. He wondered if it was all really so funny or if this was all just pent up. Either way, he didn't care. He managed to slowly calm himself, "_that's _what this is about my body? What did you think I looked like, probably a scrawny geek huh? A scrawny geek can't exactly hold his own against a Shinigami Captain, a Bounty, and an Espada." His laughter died down but he was still entirely amused. He slid his large hands up her thighs and rested them on her hips. "Orihime, Hime-chan," he cleared his throat in faux seriousness, "I've decided to keep you. You're very-very cute!"

She pinched his nipple, hard, and politely reminded him that he _was_ in fact a geek despite the body!

"OUCH!" _'Hrm, I kinda liked that!'_ "So, I take it you like what you see then?" He squirmed around a little for emphasis. The cocky playful tone in his voice couldn't be missed. Orihime liked this side of him very much. She guessed that this was the first time he'd ever been like this and that she was the only one who knew just how special the boy beneath her really was.

"You," She leaned over to kiss him but stopped just shy of his lips, "Sexy, Genius, Quincy boy Ishida Uryuu are an undercover God! I'm on to you now!" She kissed him slowly, sensually, teasingly before pulling away to clear her throat in mock imitation, "And, I've decided to keep you. You're drop dead gorgeous!"

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**END OF CHAPTER**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

Next chapter is the 3PM meeting at Urahara's, it will explain the most of Orihime's instability, her powers, and why she so desperately needs Ishida Uryuu.

WARNING: I am prone to fits of writing graphic gratuitous sex, anyone who tried to translate my pen name shouldn't be surprised [Saseko, loose woman, whore. This story will have a lot of graphically written gratuitous sex of the vanilla and possibly not very vanilla flavor (we'll see). So if you don't like reading that stuff, may be a good time to stop after this chapter.

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**Chapter Edit History**

None

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**Chapter Summary**

The night and the morning after. Tatsuki talks with her mother, Lots of sweet IshiHime moments, some more blushing, Orihime spys on Uryuu, Uryuu spies on Orihime, She tells him what really happened to her in Las Noches, Orihime looses control of her powers.

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**CHAPTER****6**

"Mom, I'm home." Tatsuki dropped her school bag at the front door and shouted across the small apartment. "Is dinner ready yet?" After the day she had, she felt like she could eat an elephant!

Tatsuki followed the sound of her mother's voice to the kitchen. "Hi dear, how was your day? No, dinner's not ready just yet. How's your friend Orihime doing, is she feeling any better?" A single working mother, Arisawa Shiori, Arisawa-san, was a kind and very disciplined woman, she tolerated no disrespect. She looked far too young for her age; she was an older and more mature version of her daughter. Like Orihime, she was a natural beauty. Her skin was smoothly pale and flawless, she had jet black waist length hair that usually hung in a high pony tail, she was full busted with a stunning athletic figure, and large soft brown eyes. She took very good care of her self, consequentially she was very beautiful. Arisawa-san did her best to pass on the importance of kindness, honor, loyalty, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to her young daughter.

"Yeah, Orihime still has some things to deal with, but yeah, definitely she seems a lot better." Tatsuki told her mother that Orihime had hit her head and was knocked unconscious. Normally, when Orihime wasn't feeling well, Shiori-san would cook a tiny buffet of food for the girl and send her daughter to deliver. Arisawa-san loved her daughter's little friend, in fact she tended to worry and fuss about her as if Orihime were her own. Tatsuki thanked whatever gods existed that her mother was so busy with work these past two weeks that she hadn't tried to go visit Orihime, who was supposedly in the hospital. Hospital visiting hours were always over by the time her mother was free to visit anyway. "I think Orihime went and got herself a boyfriend too." She laughed out loud at the thought. "He's crazy protective of her, but he's really sweet with her too."

"Oh really?" Shiori's interest perked, "and do _I_ know this boy?"

The karate champ rolled her eyes. She knew how much her mother loved Orihime. Sometimes, she would use Orihime's name as target practice and say things like, "Orihime went and got herself a boyfriend," just so she could size up her mother's reactions and have a good idea of how her mom would react should the news ever actually be Tatsuki related news. "Yup, I think you do. Her handicrafts club friend, Ishida Uryuu, the class geek. Literally, he's first in our class."

"Ishida Uryuu, isn't he Ishida Ryuuken's son?"

Tatsuki's head shot around in surprise, "Uh yeah, I think so. How do you know him Mom?"

"Oh we go way back, went to high school together." It was a true and casual confession.

Something was making Tatsuki uneasy, "Really? Hm, do you know a woman named Yoruichi too?"

This time it was her mother's turn to be caught off guard. She stopped what she was doing and eyed her daughter carefully, "I do. Why do you ask Tatsuki-chan?"

The girl pulled out the small sealed envelope and handed it to her mother. "Yoruichi-san and," she took a chance to, and went on a hunch, "Yoruichi-san and Urahara-san asked me to give this to you." She watched her mother take the letter, her face betrayed nothing but Tatsuki still got her answer.

"Yes my clever daughter, I know Urahara Kisuke too." She opened the letter, it was succinct, "Priestess, your calling has come. Your family's attendance is required, tomorrow, Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM." She closed the letter; a painful expression crossed her face as she gazed at her only daughter. "Come Tatsuki, we need to talk."

The young girl had never seen her mother look so gloomy before. Mother and daughter would stay up all night talking, but after two weeks of dealing with Shinigami, learning about Quincy, discovering Orihime's powers, and watching Ishida kill a man only to have Orihime raise him from the dead she was certain nothing her mother had to say could top that. She found out just how very wrong she could be.

In another apartment building a different young girl who wore a t-shirt and Quincy boxers finally fell fast asleep with a happy smile on her faced nestled comfortably in the trusting arms of the boy she loved.

Ishida inhaled her wonderful scent; it felt right to hold her while she slept. One hand idly scratching her belly while the other held her tight, he laughed to himself,_ 'who knew that's what would finally get her to settle down and sleep!' _He looked forward to scratching her belly every night for the rest of their lives. He was up to the task!

As wonderful as it felt lying right where he was, hours of her kisses, her laughter, her sensual whispers and innocent touches left him in need of getting rid of some tension. He knew taking care of the problem would be very quick, but untangling himself from his precious Orihime without waking her so he could make it into the bathroom, very-very difficult. Twenty minutes and a hand cramp later he tip-toed into the bathroom, shut the door, grabbed a tissue, and pressed his back against the wall to sat down on the floor ready to do business. The poor Quincy was completely unaware that 20 minutes of breakaway maneuvers had failed him, Orihime was awake.

Orihime slipped out of bed and crept toward the bathroom door. She felt his throbbing erection press against her long before they even decided to try and sleep. _ 'Poor Ury-kun.' _She felt bad for him. She knew that when boys got that way it hurt after a while if they didn't take care of it, and she just knew after his reaction from earlier, when she took off her shirt, that he certainly wouldn't let her help him with this. She felt bad for him, but it was his choice to suffer. She wanted to be with him and thanks to an education she wished she never had; she knew exactly how to tend to him. She wanted to make him feel good.

Orihime liked that her violet eyed undercover god was so completely aroused by her, and it surprised her just how often though. He was always disappearing into the bathroom, he thought he was being elusive but she knew. _'It must be a Quincy thing._' She knew from Chizuru's ranting that human boys couldn't get aroused so often or so quickly in succession, and in Las Noches it was no different.

Orihime took up post squatting down on the floor with her ear pressed against the bathroom door. She wanted to hear him, she liked the way he said her name when he was driven by lust. However, what she heard made her laugh so hard she bit her arm to keep from making a noise. It wasn't until a few moments later that she finally began to hear her name roll off lustfully of his lips, over and over again. She couldn't believe what just being near him did to her, it took so little for him to make her wet. He didn't know that and she was thankful that girls could hide their arousal better than boys; otherwise she was certain they'd either be constantly fighting for use of the bathroom or fucking like rabbits. She preferred the latter.

As she secretly listened to her Quincy grow closer to his climax, a sudden flush tinted her body when she realized what his _unique Quincy condition_ meant for her_. 'Oh, when Ury-kun's ready he'll be…'_ Her body tensed in excitement and lost in her own private moment of enthusiasm she burst straight up into the air like a wayward cheerleader, "UNSTOPPABLE!" Completely unaware that she had just very loudly shouted that last word. She was very excited that her Ury-kun was gorgeous, sexy, and apparently very closely related to the Energizer bunny.

Uryuu pulled his rock hard erection out but before taking care of it, he decided to have a little man-to-man talk with his purple appendage, he quietly scolded lil Ury-kun about being selfish and not thinking of anyone else but his own pleasure! _'Ugh, somehow I don't think I'm getting through to him!'_ "Fine, you win – again! You always win you selfish prick! Don't you care about me at all? I was very happy right where I was. I left a warm bed full of Orihime to come deal with you! He glared at his dripping cock that just seemed to mock him, "Sometimes I hate you!"

Accepting defeat, he assumed the position and strangled lil Ury-kun before completely giving in. _'Everything is moving so fast for us, but it feels right.'_ He no longer had to imagine what her lips felt like, what she smelled like, or what her innocent touches would do to him; he knew what his Hime-chan felt like now. His pleasure was building, his eyes rolled back in head, "Orihime, I know I had you put your shirt back on, but thank you Hime-chan, thank-you." Visions of her perfect and grand breasts flooded his mind while he stroked, "they're beautiful Orihime." A few more stern strokes and he'd be able to join his Hime-chan back in bed.

"UNSTOPPABLE…"

Startled and so close to climax he exploded into the tissue with a load grunt. "ORIHIME! Are you ok?" He yanked up his boxers and ran to the pulled open the bathroom door to find a beet red girl, standing right at the bathroom door, covering her mouth with both hands looking guilty as sin itself. _ 'This can't be good, please say she doesn't know what I do in there. Oh crap what if she heard me.'_ He could feel the heat of embarrassment rush his face.

"Orihime, did you do something bad?"

The rueful girl kept her hands clamped over her mouth and slowly gave an affirmative nod. Telepathically she tried to control his thoughts, _'please Ury-kun, don't be mad at me.' _

He glared at the guilty looking girl for a second, "Did you do something that would make me feel uhh… embarrassed?" _ 'If the answer is yes I really don't want any details!'_

'_Ury-kun's mad at me!_' She dropped her hands from her mouth and timidly shook her head _yes _once more. She didn't ever want him to be mad at her. She looked like a sad dejected kitten. She didn't want to be in trouble but she wouldn't lie to him.

'_Shoot me now! If Orihime's tells me she heard me jacking off to her I don't think I can handle that! It will be, hands down, the most embarrassing moment of my life!'_ "Hrm… I see," He stood there studying the small girl that all but coward before him. She looked so sad, it was cute really. He couldn't be mad. He wasn't entirely sure what she did, though he had a pretty good idea and he had to believe her when she said it would embarrass him if he found out. _'Oh well'_… he lunged forward and hoisted her over his shoulder. He was met with a surprised girly EEEEAPP! Orihime shrieked in surprise and then in giddy playfulness as he walked toward the bed teasingly spanking her airborne ass.

He felt a small finger pull the waistband of his boxers away from his back, cold air rushed between his taut cheeks. "Oh, Ury-kun's got a nice a…."

Before she could finish her sentence he dropped her onto the bed, straddling her waist and pinning her wrists above her head. "Orihime," he looked dead serious, "what am I going to do with you?"

He watched the trapped girl squirm beneath him and lick her lips hungrily, "I can think of a few things."

He simply rolled his eyes. "You really are hard to resist Hime-chan!"

"So stop trying!" Came her simple candid retort. _'He's weakening, YAY! Ury-kun, you uncover god, you will be mine soon!_' She paused for a moment,"Ury-kun why aren't you mad at me?"

The question shocked him a little, "Well, if all you did was something that might potentially embarrass me, especially if it only involves the two of us, it just doesn't seem worth it to be mad at you. As cute as you are when you think you're in trouble, you're much cuter when you smile! " He puffed his chest out to accentuate his manliness, "my goals aim for maximum cuteness." He smiled goofily, "Unless you want me to be mad at you, in which case I guess I'd have to punish you."

'_My Ury-kun's the perfect boy!'_ "Awe, Ury-kun," she pouted, "you don't have to wait for me to be in trouble to punish me." Her girlish giggles drained all the sensually out of her retort.

He chuckled in amusement. His eyes softened, he stared down at her with complete loving adoration flickering in his eyes. _'She's perfect. I'm going to miss her when she goes home. I've never been so happy. The only time I smile is with her. Ugh, in fact I smile so much my cheeks hurt!'_ She watched his face furrow for a second; he seemed lost in thought. He freed her wrists. She tangled her fingers in his and gazed at the boy on top of her, she wanted to remember everything about him every second of every day. She sat patiently allowing him to finish his thought.

"Hime-chan?"

"Hm?" He looked nervous; his palms were sweating against hers. "What's wrong Ury-kun?"

"Nothing's wrong." He rolled off of her and sat at the edge of the bed, he could see he was starting to worry her. "Nothing's wrong Hime-chan really," He looked at her and smiled nervously, "will you move in with me?" It was an impulse decision, but she was more addictive than crack. He couldn't just have her tonight and walk away. Every time he looked at her he felt overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions for her, a need to be with her, and a primitive wholly animalistic desire to protect what was his.

He was knocked to the floor by her legendary Hime-strength. 100 percent sweet girl lunged at him, and wrapped her arms around him to kiss him passionately.

Looking up into the eyes he could swim in, "is that a yes?"

She bounced around avidly on top of him and covered his face with butterfly kisses, "yes,yes, yes, yes."

His body melted beneath her, the look in her face and the tears in her eyes, "it's settled then. Welcome home Inoue Orihime, Cupid-chan, and Psyche-chan. We'll have to get a picture of the four of us and put it in the frame."

"You make me so happy Ury-kun, thank you." She smiled at him sweetly as he lifted them both back in the bed. "Does this make me your girlfriend?"

He laughed and gave her a nod before tucking her under his chin and pulling up the covers. "Go to sleep now Hime-chan, we have a big day tomorrow." She complied contently, knowing that she would be sleeping in her Quincy cocoon every night.

Two hours later…

Orihime woke feeling chilly and very sad. She looked around the dark room and found Uryuu sitting on the floor with his back pressed up against the wall, he was watching her sleep. "Ury-kun, is everything ok?" She could feel his reiatsu; it was seething angry and immeasurably sad_. 'Uryuu…'_ She recognized these feelings, they were the same feelings he had the other night. They were intensely strong, "Uryuu?" She softly called out again. She slipped out of the bed and walked toward him, he just starred. "Ury-kun," she sat down in front of him, "please what's wrong?"

She knew it was only a matter of time before this would happen, she didn't expect it so soon. His weakened voice seemed to plead when he spoke, "what happened Orihime? I want to know… all of it."

Taken back by the request, "why?" she didn't question his motives, she was just foolishly stalling for time. He didn't answer. _'Ury-kun has a right to know. I don't want to carry this by myself, I trust Ury-kun, if I tell him it will hurt, hurt so much. I can't hurt him, I love him.' _ She lifted his chin and looked him dead in the eye, "Ishida Uryuu, you're asking me to hurt you." It would hurt him dearly to know what she actually endured under Aizen's custody.

"Yes Hime-chan I am," the light from the street lamp outside caught his tear. "Inoue Orihime, I'm begging you, let me carry the burden with you."

'_With me…' _The small bit of resolve she'd been using to delude herself in an effort to keep the weight of her captivity from burying her alive had buckled under the weight of his words. The memories of her living hell that waded shallowly beneath her fingertips roared like a title wave in her head. She fell forward into the arms of her loving salvation and cried. For four hours she cried without speaking a word. For four hours he held her in under the moonlight in his lap, tightly in his arms, and rocked her back and forth gently without saying a word.

When she finally began to speak, he just listened attentively-quietly. When she shook he'd scratch her belly or massage the palms of her hands. She recanted in painstaking detail every word she could remember, every laceration, bruise, burn, cut and unwanted touch and phallic object she could recollect. She dictated with nauseating accuracy every sickeningly perverse act she was made to perform, every look of purely sadistic self satisfied malice that etched the faces of her rapists, and every feeling of shame and humiliation she endured. She told him of her black-outs, her reiatsu flare, and she told him everything she wanted so desperately to forget about Ichigo. She told him absolutely everything she could remember.

When she was finished, when dawn pierced the new day, after seven hours she finally looked up to see the face of the boy she loved who so patiently and lovingly weathered the storm with her. His face was as tear stained as her own. He was sad and broken. She knew he would be. His hurt was thick, heavy, and palpable in the air, but his eyes said _I love you Inoue Orihime, forever, _his embrace said _I'll protect you Inoue Orihime, forsaking all others_ and his voice said, "you'll never be alone again Inoue Orihime, your happiness and your burdens are now my own. Thank you."

Too drained to moved, they salvaged the early morning hours and fell asleep wrapped tightly around one another right where they were.

As the day rolled on the noise outside of the IshiHime household grew louder. Orihime woke with her face pressed against a hard _wet _chest. _'Huh, wet…? Oh no! Please, I didn't.'_ She could tell he was awake; she was too scared to look up and see Uryuu as she used the bottom of her t-shirt to wipe her Hime-drool off of his chiseled bare chest. It was almost as if he could feel her stark embarrassment when she felt the noise and the trembles that signaled a highly entertained laughing boy.

"Good morning Hime-chan," he kissed the top of her head and leaned closer to her ear. His husky voice sent shivers up her spine, "you just keep getting more adorable!"

"Ewwww," she tilted her head up and softly elbowed him in the stomach. "You think my drool is cute do you?"

One stern and highly amused nod followed.

"Awe," she looked up at him as if he'd gone nuts, "You really do love me don't you!"

He laughed. "Hai, even when you're being a brat!" He waggled his eyebrows, "so, what does a guy have to do in these parts to get a good morning kiss from his own girlfriend?"

"Silly boy, I'm all yours. Anytime." She tilted her head back and puckered. The bait was set.

The violet eyed Quincy boy leaned his lips into hers, the perfect way to start any new day. After several minutes of yummy Hime goodness, he stood up shifting the girl that slept in his lap last night in his arms so that she rested comfortably. He carried her back to the bed bridal style and dropped her in, and ran to the bathroom. "I'll be out in a minute, and stay away from the door Hime-chan," he scolded.

She could feel his length pressing against her, poor boy had morning wood. She had to wonder how long he sat there waiting for her wake up. _'He's torturing himself, it's so sweet. I really need to break him of that particular habit!' _She sat up and waited patiently. When he finally emerged from the bathroom, she nearly passed out. So much happened last night but this was the first time she saw him standing upright in good light wearing nothing but his proud Quincy boxers. _'Kami he's gorgeous!'_

He came out of the bathroom and starred at the incredibly sexy girl sitting on his bed… err, an evil grin donned his face, their bed. _'How is it possible for her to look even more incredible now than she did last night?'_

Gathering enough boldness she finally spoke her mind, "Ury-kun, I know what you're doing in there." She watched him turn pink, "and I know it's me your thinking about." She watched him turn red. "You don't have to hide, Ury-kun." She stepped off the bed and walked over to the abashed boy. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, and in an attempt to calm his fears she spoke with the sweetest most sincere voice she had, "Please Ury-kun, let me take care of you. I want to. I want to take care of anything you need, anything you want. It will make me happy, both of us happy. You just have to let me."

'_Yup, I was right, this is definitely the most embarrassing moment of my life!'_ "But…" he was cut off before he could get any further.

"Please look at me," she could feel the heat of his nervousness and embarrassment radiating off of his body. She looked him in the eye, "I love you." Her eyes tried desperately to apologize and make him feel less awkward. "If your hesitation is genuinely from something on your end, I'll be patient till the end of time. I won't pressure you, but if your hesitation has anything to do with me, then you're being silly. I told you I'm not the same girl I was before; I want you Ishida Uryuu, all of you as often as I can have you. I want to make you feel good, I never want to touch or be touched by anyone else but you. Everything I know about being touched is tainted and vile. Please Ury-kun, I choose you… show me how wonderful it can be. I need you." She stood up on her tippy-toes and placed a chaste kiss on his soft lips. "Trust me… you won't hurt me."

The flush subsided, "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"You just made the most embarrassing moment of my life _to date _disappear in two seconds. I could have walked around tormented endlessly by that whole scenario for days. It can't possibly be this easy to be with you Orihime." The girl, his life, and all possible futures with her just kept getting better and better.

She smiled big and hopped up to peck him on his chin. "Hn," she looked perplexed, "I'll work on that Ury-kun." He saw an evil glint in her eye, "you're too cute when you're embarrassed for it to only last two seconds."

"Hmph! I'm sure you'll find plenty of ways to get what you want, and I dread and look forward to it all." He reached up to cup her face in both hands and his face and tone were serious, "I'm sorry Hime-chan, I didn't know. The hesitation's not on my end. I've wanted you in every way imaginable for so long and I'm scared to ruin it now that I have you. I didn't think you'd want a physical relationship after what happened to you. I thought you might think badly of me if you knew how much of a hentai the mere thought of you could turn me into." He breathed in deeply, "and I can't believe I'm going to say this…"

She bit her lip to keep from laughing as she watched his face turn red again, _'oh, this should be good.'_ She couldn't wait to hear whatever his confession would be.

His eyes danced around the room and looked everywhere but at her, he couldn't see the painfully amused expression on her face. There was a nice spot on the wall that deserved his undivided attention, "Over the years, whenever I uh, you know. Well, it's always you in my head Hime-chan," _'Ahh fuck it, I am so far in this hole I have nothing to loose,'_ he looked her square in the eye, "Inoue-Orihime, you are a very-very-_very_ bad little girl!" She watched his eyes drill into her like a predator honing in on his prey, a small self satisfied and deliciously wicked grin crossed his face. She wasn't expecting _that!_ She swooned and lost her balance, but he happily held her up.

'_Oh kami that's just not right!'_ His words, the voice, those eyes, that look, this body…"is it hot in here?" '_I think Ury-kun may be an undercover sex god!'_ He watched the lax girl in his arms with great amusement. It was her turn to blush again. "Oh no, did I just swoon?"

"Why yes Hime-chan, I do believe so." He was picking on her and enjoying every second of it.

"Um Ury-kun," hailed the tiny sweet voice of a wickedly aroused teenage girl.

"Hai…?"

"Which drawer are your boxers in, I need a new pair."

For the second time in his life he laughed so hard he cried. She loved it when he laughed; everything in her world was perfect when he laughed like that. "Here you go koibito." He handed her a new pair of boxers and kissed the top of her head, "I am _definitely _keeping you! Now, you should go shower, we have to be at Urahara's soon and no..." he cut her off before she could even start to speak, "I'm not joining you."

She disappeared into the bathroom mumbling something about wicked selfish gods and evil little boys who are too hot be so stingy, he thought he heard something 'on display in a museum' too but he couldn't be sure.

Ishida gathered up their dirty clothes to drop them in the washer. He fumbled a bit when his hand landed on her cotton Transformers underwear. "What?" _'Orihime wears little boy underwear?'_ The more he thought about it the more it made sense; after all they don't print Transformers on girls' panties._ 'I love this girl! Not even her underwear is ordinary.' _Her bra on the other hand was all lacey sexy hot girl. He tried to picture her wearing nothing but Transformer underwear and a sex goddess bra, the mental image was silly and fun and incredibly arousing, lil Uryuu was wide awake. He ignored his bastard appendage and shivered in excitement; he was certain that even doing the laundry was going to be a lot more fun now that she was moving in.

Being the fabric guru he was, he knew better than to put the bra in the washing machine. After indulging his well developed Hime-hentai'ness by rubbing the soft undergarment along his cheek and deeply inhaling her scent, he set it aside. _'What the hell is she going to wear today? Her clothes won't be dry before we leave. I'll call Tatsuki and ask her to bring Orihime some clean clothes to the meeting.' _

On the way toward the phone he passed the bathroom door. He didn't hear a shower, he heard the soft swishing of bath tub water and he heard his name sensually rolling off her lips. He was shocked, '_girls masturbate in the bathroom too?' _Little Uryuu was now screaming and weeping wildly for attention. The innocent virgin of a boy was powerless to do anything other than drop to the floor and listen as the girl he loved satisfied herself because he wouldn't. He was so fully aroused, but all he could do was feel bad for denying her. His hand slipped beneath the waste band of his boxers and wrapped firmly around his heated shaft. He listened to her through the door. Uryuu has had this fantasy before many times, Orihime masturbating while he watched. He played the images in his mind and fused them with the euphoric feminine moans that caressed the air.

Orihime knew he was sitting at the door, _'he doesn't understand how sensitive I am to reiatsu, especially his.' _Her thumb teased her dark auburn curls while her two fingers massaged her folds. "Ury-kun…" Being with him was driving her to the brink of insanity, he was her savior and perhaps he'd be her undertaker. She knew her feelings were a bit unnatural, she knew she was being aggressive, she was grateful that he did know how much of her aggression she was holding back. _'Why do I need him so badly? What happened two nights ago, I gave him part of me I felt him take it, I knew then I wanted him to have me?' _Her fingers slipped between the folds and delved into her core, "Uryuuu… oh Ury." Her need for him was quite pressing; her own sanity seemed to literally depend on it. Her eyes drifted shut and she saw his tender loving face. A soapy hand roughly twisted and pinched at her nipples. "Please Uryuu I need you, oh Ury-kun." Her fingers began to aggressively spear into her. _'Why do I need you? What's wrong with me?' _Her vivid imagination showed her exactly what she wanted, "Oh Kami, Uryuu harder, more… please, oh yes." Her ministrations grew harder and faster, the pressure was building between her legs, it clouded her thoughts, all she could see and feel was salvation claiming her, fucking her. Her body wreathed spilling water over the top. Something was wrong. Her intensity kept building but she could never find release, "More please…." she screamed "Uryuu FUCK ME!" She couldn't wake up, she was crying.

'_Something's wrong.'_ He could feel it. The need for his own release disappeared. He knocked on the door, Orihime? "Are you ok?" There was no answer. He heard water splash against the floor, she was begging in the throws of passion too intense for her to illicit by touching herself. He opened the door, what he saw scared him half to death. Orihime was rigid, her body shook and spasm'ed violently, her position contorted, head bent back while she screamed out begging for release. He knew her muscles couldn't withstand that much tension for too long, she was crying, she was in pain. "ORIHIME!" He dropped to her side.

She couldn't open her eyes. A pained pleading whimper begged…"Ury-kun, help me!"

He didn't know what to do. He placed his hands on her face to move her head into a move comfortable position. His hands locked in place and her eyes shot wide open. He could not see it but he felt the energy around her go wildly insane before it converged on him. She watched his eyes glow a blinding white. The more her body relaxed, the more the energy left her to go through him, the brighter the light in his eyes.

She sobbed wildly as she regained the use of her body, "I'm so sorry Ury-kun." The energy grew even more unstable, he couldn't move. It kept passing through him, filling him up.

At the top of her lungs she shouted, "STOP IT, he can't handle it." She pleaded the vast amounts of energy stabbing into him. She knew if this continued he'd die. The energy was the source of her power. She so desperately tried to contain it and it was slowly driving her insane; she slipped up and let her guard down. The power that flowed through Orihime, the power that Grimmjow's brutality unlocked, escaped her and it was killing him. She ripped his hands away from her face; he fell limply to the floor a bit dazed but no worse for the wear.

He watched in amazement, Orihime was better but now, he could see it now, all of it. A maelstrom of untamed raw power converged back on her. It slowly calmed but never went away, it just flowed through her. How anyone could contain such power was beyond him. He lunged back to the side of the tub and hugged Orihime fiercely, "Are you ok?"

She latched onto him tightly, refusing to budge. "I'm so sorry Ury-kun, please forgive me."

He stroked her wet hair and whispered words of comfort into her ear until she was ready to loosen her grip on him.

She watched his face in wonder while he looked in awe around the room; he looked like a little boy watching fireworks for the first time. "Orihime, what is all of this?"

"You can see it Ury-kun?"

"Yes, it's beautiful and it's all centered on you. It's amazing; it's almost how the air and the wind might look if you could see it."

"I want to get out of the tub first."

"Oh sure"… he stood up and grabbed a towel before lending his hand to help her up. He unabashedly surveyed every curve of her naked body; she gave him all the time he needed. When he was done he wrapped a towel around her. "You're stunning, completely beautiful." He smiled serenely at her. "Everything about you is incredible Orihime, even your Transformer underwear."

"My underwear, you hentai!" He wasn't upset by any of this, he was just happy she was ok. "I love you; you always know what to say to make me feel better." She opened her towel and wrapper then both in it.

"So what is it?" He still stared in wonder and amazement as energy from all directions flowed into Orihime and then back out.

"That's my reiatsu. I'm so sorry Ury-kun; I can't control my powers all the time. It almost killed you."

"_THAT'S _your reiatsu! WOW, that's mammoth!" After a brief pause he pulled apart and bent over to claim her lips, "nothing happened to me, I'm fine. In fact, because of it I can see more clearly. I love everything I see Orihime."

"Ury-kun's wonderful," she hugged him sweetly then grabbed his wrist to check the time, "and it's time for him to take a shower. We have to be at Urahara's in 30 minutes." Curious about something she pulled back from him. "Ury-kun, if you can see my reiatsu now, maybe you can also see the light in your eyes."

He jumped over to the mirror and then jumped back into the wall. Orihime giggled, "I'll take that as a yes."

"This is how you see me?" He kept switching the lights on and off. _ 'She's right, my eyes light up in the dark, freaky!'_

"Yup, every since your reiatsu flare."

"Hn, I guess that solves that mystery then."

"Hrm?"

"The light in my eyes kind of looks like your reiatsu. The night I had my flare I felt some of your energy enter me. Besides, it would explain why your reiatsu just tried to fill me up. It must have thought I was its home since some part of your essence already lives in me."

She dropped her towel and jumped up on the boy, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She kissed her special wonderful boy slowly, deeply, and possessively until they were both breathless.

"Oh wow! Did a super hot naked girl just jump up on me and kiss me?" He played and smiled.

She nodded in the affirmative and wiggled around pressing all her naked glorious girlness against his bare chest and torso."And, we'll pick up right here later." She kissed his nose and bounced toweless out of the bathroom. "Now go get clean stud, we're going to be late."

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**END OF CHAPTER**

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_**Thanks to those who continue reading. Since I don't get many reviews I've become content to watching the story stats page to see how often my story is accessed. **_


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

WARNING: I am prone to fits of writing graphic gratuitous sex, anyone who tried to translate my pen name shouldn't be surprised [Saseko, loose woman, whore. This story will have a lot of graphically written gratuitous sex of the vanilla and possibly not very vanilla flavor (we'll see). So if you don't like reading that stuff, now may be a good time to stop reading.

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**Chapter Edit History**

2/11/08 grammar, spelling, a few added words, nothing major

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**Chapter Summary**

We get a slightly better understanding of Orihime's powers. Uryuu is still a virgin but he has the most FANTASTIC sex education teacher ever! Sorry I didn't get around to the meeting at the Urahara shop, I got side tracked.

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**CHAPTER****7**

Orihime ran around her new unfamiliar apartment buck naked, she had given Uryuu ten minutes to take a shower and get dressed, which meant she had ten minutes to find her own clothes, the ones she hadn't seen since last night when they shared their first kiss_. 'Where are my clothes, where are my clothes, where are my clothes…' _ Her face lit up! "Ah ha!" She raised both arms in triumph. "I found you! Victory is mine!" Well, she found her bra anyway and promptly put it on... "Now where are your little friends?" She opened up the washing machine and frowned, "Your little friends are swimming." '_I should have known he'd do the laundry, oh well lets see what he has.'_

Orihime slipped into the fresh pair of boxers he gave her before she took her bath from hell, and delved into his drawers looking for something suitable to wear. She tossed a pair of clean boxers on the bed for him to wear. _'Oh that's cute!'_ She flipped through his perfectly square folded t-shirts, _'how does he do that,'_ and noticed that he had sewn a small Quincy cross on the tag of every one of them. She quickly snatched one up and slid it on before grabbing another and tossing it on the bed with his underwear_. 'Oh he's so adorable;_' she'd been separated from him by a single door for five minutes and already she missed him._ 'I bet he sews the Quincy cross on all of his clothes!'_

She raided his closet; sure enough every piece of fabric he wore had a Quincy cross stitched on it somewhere. She had to wonder, _'does this bless his clothes or is this like a name tag?' _She remembered that when Tatsuki would go off to karate camp, her mom would always write her name on all of her clothes.

She rummaged through the rest of his drawers, _'Argh, Ury-kun don't you wear shorts?'_ apparently not since she couldn't find any, _'how can he not wear shorts?' _She thought his legs were dreamy, so smooth, thick, and muscular. She grabbed a two pairs of his sweat pants from the closet, two pair of socks, and she pinned back her hair; she was ready to go. One problem, she was scared to death to leave the apartment. _'Maybe Ury-kun can go and just take notes for me.'_

She heard the shower turn off and ran into the kitchen. She didn't want to be anywhere near her dripping wet undercover god when he got out of the shower. Her personal restraint was already running low and she didn't feel the need to test the weak boundaries of what little self control she still had.

As soon as she heard him in the bedroom she quietly slipped into the bathroom and shut the door.

Ishida scrubbed himself clean as quickly he could,_ 'she gave me ten minutes.' _He couldn't stop thinking of her reiatsu, _'it's going to take me a while to get used to seeing all that energy everywhere.'_ "Orihime, what are you?" She wasn't human, she wasn't Quincy or Shinigami, and she certainly wasn't a hollow or a Vizard; Orihime was something else entirely. It scared him. It scared him because whatever she was her own power was a considerable threat to her life, and he felt wholly useless to help her. He also wondered if he would ever find out why her energy was flowing through him and how it was possible for her to transfer a part of herself like that to begin with. Oh, and not to mention, it will take a little time to adjust to having eyes that lit up.

He checked his watch, _'five minutes, better hurry this up.'_ He was done in three. He was surprised to find his clothes tossed on the bed. '_She picks my nose and lays my clothes out!'_ His heart swelled, he was happy, he was no longer alone, and finally he mattered to someone. Orihime cared.

For a boy who was just a few cards shy of being a complete hermit, having someone else instantly seep into every hidden crevice of his life seemed strangely easy. He felt as if he'd been denied so much for too long. He felt that it was the rest of his life, the years that he had already lived through, that had been broken and wrong, but now she was here and she was finally going to make his life what it should beHe starred at the clothes on the bed, _'I've never worn a t-shirt and sweat pants in public,'_ those where his stay at home clothes. _'Oh well, she's the boss.'_ He smiled to himself, _'I guess I better get dressed.'_

A few feet away in a still hot and steamy bathroom that smelled heavily of freshly cleaned god, a small girl tried desperately to stop inhaling the air and focus on the task at hand, she debated,_ 'my finger or his toothbrush?' _His toothbrush won, it was no contest!

His voice pierced through the bathroom door, "Come on Hime-chan, it's time to go." He hoped that she would feel better today about being outside, around other people.

Walking out of the bathroom she casually confessed, "Ury-kun, I used your toothbrush. I don't have one here and I figured since you saw me naked and I haven't seen you naked it was fair." It was Hime-logic, she had it all planned out.

'_That's crazy; my Orihime is a special kind of girl._' He just shrugged and laughed, "sounds ok, but if you ask me I think I got the better half of the deal." He looked her up and down, "you like my clothes?" He swore she could make a burlap sack look hot if she wore it.

She was itching to touch him. She wrapped her arms around him and listened to his heart beat against his chest. Her restless energy calmed when he wrapped his arms around her. "I think I should go without a bra Ury-kun, that way I can say I'm only wearing your clothes. Besides," she nuzzled her face into him and squeezed him tight, "it's the only thing I'm wearing that doesn't have a Quincy cross sewn into it."

He cocked one eyebrow up and thought about that statement for a minute_, 'has she always had this dry backhanded sense of humor?_' "Brat," he snapped her bra, "you're perfectly wonderful just the way you are, and you should mind yourself and be a good little girl, or you'll wake up one morning to find I sewed a Quincy cross on all of your clothes too!"

She didn't so much mind that idea. Looking up at her proud Quincy boy she smiled big, "fine, you do that. It'll just show everyone who I belong too." Case closed!

His chest swelled with pride and triumph, he wasn't sure if it was just the way the masculine ego worked or if it was something else, but he loved the idea of her belonging to him just as much as he loved the idea of being owned by her. He gave her one quick tight squeeze and headed toward the door, "come koi, time to go."

The change was instantaneous; he could see the intense fear in her eyes. She was just as scared when they left the Urahara shop yesterday. She began to panic and shake so badly that he picked her up and Hirenkyaku'ed home. He remembered her plea from last night, her plea for him to try and understand her and not coddle her like a child. He'd been to seven rape survivors meetings and he'd read at least ten different books about rape during the two weeks she slept. He understood that she did not want to touch other people but nothing he knew could explain why she was so afraid to step outside.

He walked back over to her and pulled her gently toward the door. Stopping at the threshold he took her hands in his and lowered himself down on one knee, "Hime-chan, I don't understand. Please tell me what it's like for you outside. Why are you so afraid?"

"It's not that I'm afraid of the world Ury-kun. The world's the same; I'm just different than I used to be. I told you that, I'm not the same girl I was before." She watched him listen patiently, she could see the confusion and worry etch across his face, "It's my power Ury-kun, my reiatsu, and it's too much. I can't handle it or control it yet. I know Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san put a reiatsu barrier around the shop, my apartment and yours. It's strong enough to contain the massive reiatsu flare you had the other night, and it's strong enough to keep reiatsu and other energies from entering, but it's too weak to hold my reiatsu, which for some strange reason doesn't attract hollows like yours does." She could see she had his full attention, "When I leave the barrier I can feel the life force or the energy of everyone my reiatsu touches. Urahara's barrier keeps that excess energy out." She look at him in desperation, "Ury-kun, my reiatsu is bigger than your bathroom."

He was trying to piece this together, "Let me make sure we understand one another, if you leave the apartment you feel everything your reiatsu touches?" She nodded. _'This can't be right, she should be able to handle that, unless, her reiatsu handling abilities have always been outstanding…unless…' _"Orihime, wait right here I'll be back in less than a minute, I won't be far. Is that ok?" Again she nodded. He kissed her forehead and Hirenkyaku'ed to the next roof. Nothing could prepare him for what he saw. He turned toward his apartment and spun around in a full circle, as far as the eye could see, in every possible direction, energy was either flowing directly toward Orihime or ebbing away from her; but one thing was clear, she was the source of it. She was the epicenter, the heart, of all of it. _'I take it back, this is far-far greater than mammoth.' _The amount of energy she controlled made the entire collective spirit energy of the Soul Society and all of it's inhabitants completely insignificant, like a single ant on a mountain.

He couldn't possibly imagine all of the things her reiatsu stretched out to touch. It was unfathomable to comprehend that if she stepped outside of the reiatsu barrier she would feel everything instantaneously and endlessly, the existence of millions felt by one, till she either went crazy or hid behind a barrier. "There's no way in hell I'm letting her leave the house." _ 'How is this even possible? How the hell can she stand it for even a second? Orihime, what are you?' _Special kind of girl indeed, he hurried home.

"Orihime, why didn't you tell me yesterday?"

"I didn't know how to explain. It's easier now that you can see it."

He lunged at her and wrapped her up in a panic-stricken hug as if he had just pulled her from the path of a speeding car at the last minute. She buried herself in his embrace, and cried in both fear and relief. She wished her powers had remained dormant, but she was glad that he was with her, that he could see it, that he understood. She finally felt like she was no longer alone. Her Ury-kun now helped her carry her two greatest and most oppressing burdens, her time in Las Noches, and the unlocked vastness of her true power.

"Orihime," he spoke with a tone and conviction that she seldom heard, she would not argue. "You're not leaving this house until we can find a way you make this manageable for you." He watched her face light up to speak, "and I'm not leaving your side." He tried to ease the intensity of the moment, he smiled softly at her, "sorry Hime-chan, like I told you yesterday, you're stuck with me. Like it or not!" He walked over to phone to call the Urahara shop. Two small arms wrapped around him from behind as he dialed.

After a short phone call the deed was done. The 3:00 PM meeting at the Urahara Shop turned into a 4:00 PM meeting at the IshiHime household. He shifted around in her embrace, kissed the top of her head, and hugged her back. "Hopefully, Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, and this mysterious third person will have some information that will help us figure this thing out." He slipped his hand under her t-shirt and softly scratched her back, "don't worry Orihime, I promise if there is a way to keep you smiling I'll find it!" He looked down into big beautiful eyes, his heart smiled adoringly and his lips followed. "We have an hour and fifteen minutes till they get here, is there anything you want to do? Are you hungry we haven't eaten in awhile?

"I love you Ury-kun, you take such good care of me." She stretched on her tippy-toes to plant a chaste kiss on his lips to shut him up. "For the next hour and fifteen minutes I want to take care of you." She jumped up on him and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his hair.

Their kiss started slow and tender. Ishida lowered himself to sit on the floor so he wouldn't have to use his hands to support her weight. He loved when she jumped on him like that and used every available limb to latch on. He'd gladly be the tree to sate her inner monkey.

Once on the floor his hands were finally free to enjoy the proprietary and unrestricted access he had to the incredible creature that sat in his lap. The intensity of the kiss increased. Orihime had every intention of driving him wild. She could tell he liked to hear her, loudly she moaned her unspoken pleas into his mouth. She wanted as much of him as she could have.

He wanted more, he wanted to hear more. The sound of her pleasure drove him mad with desire. He decided he would have all the noises he wanted, starting with the deep wanton moan she made when his hands clamped possessively over her breast and kneaded them roughly.

It felt so incredible to have him touch her. She wanted more. She parted the kiss to lean back; she would give him all the access he needed to any part of her body, always. She pulled his head into her chest, "more Uryuu, more." He crudely pinched and twisted one nipple through her shirt while clamping down to hungrily feast on the other sensitive tip. The harder his ministrations were the louder she would cry out his name and force his head deeper into her soft bountiful flesh. She couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to be touched when it was wanted. His hands were so large, so strong. Years of elegant and fine sewing trained his finger tips to expertly wield whatever was trapped between them.

It wasn't enough, he wanted to hear more. He just knew she could be louder. He wanted her to be louder. The louder she was the more pleasure she felt and the happier she was. The happier she was the happier he was. His mouth was salivating wildly as he continued to roughly devour her through the fabric of her clothes. He was greatly pleased with the distressing whimper that seeped from her when he stopped his voracious assault. He slid his hands under her shirt and pressed a palm to each side of her ribcage; in one swift move straight up he freed her from both her meddlesome shirt and bra. It was impressive. His brashness surprised her, he'd come so far in one night. She wondered how much further she could get him to go. She wanted more of him, and he could tell, but she would just have to wait.

She watched him stare at his new toys; she saw the impassioned lust in his eyes. He was gorgeous. As much as she craved his warm, wet, carnivorous mouth on her now bruised and highly sensitive nipples, she would sit patiently and watch him watching her. She was trying to figure out what he liked, she had a pretty good idea. He liked to hear her make noise; she would be loud. He liked to stare at her intensely; she would put herself on display. _'Does he like to watch?'_ If her under cover god was a voyeur, she would be the show.

The cool air in the room painfully teased her erect peaks. She loved when he stared at her, it made her feel desired, cherished, wanted, prized. It made her so incredibly wet. Orihime placed her hands on her supple mounds and kneaded, squeezed, and rubbed them both just for him to see. It felt good; it felt so surprisingly good to be watched. He was completely enraptured with her performance. She knew he desired no one but her, which made her moan loader. She needed more. He passively worshipped her body and tortured her still. She decided enough was enough, he was definitely enjoying his show, she would take it a step further and get her release.

Still sitting in his lap with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, she leaned all the way back. One of her petite hands continued to relentlessly torture her breasts. As her body writhed with snake like elegance, arching her back up and down, gliding her hips from side to side, grinding her pelvis into his stomach, the other hand slid slowly down through the valley of her chest, over her soft flat stomach, and slipped silently under the waist bands of her drenched boxers and sweatpants. She desperately had to fight against her impending orgasm; the look on his wonderful face when her hand disappeared under the guise of cotton was more than enough to finish her off with an impressive cry.

She watched him watch her while she masturbated in his lap. It was sensual, erotic, lecherous, and so very intimate; she never knew how good this could feel with someone you loved. She never took her eyes off of him, he was the most beautiful creature she'd ever known; anything for him, anything. Her fingers plunged in and out of her seething wet cavern, the feelings of shameless and uninhibited pleasure built up inside of her quickly. His name fell from her lips for the 100th time that afternoon; the moans were only separated by the desperate panting need for air. She grinded and wriggled around, her thrusts were deeper and harder. His name was so very easy to say in the throws of passion, "Uryuu… Uryuu… please… Uryuu Uryuu." A soft flick of her clit, her back arched high, her neck snapped back and one last time, "URYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU….!" Euphoria! Her hand was soaked in her own juices. She'd never cum that hard, gotten so wet. Too spent to pull her fingers out, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, more sated than she'd ever been, her eyes shut, she fell lax.

Strong arms scooped her up and slowly, sweetly kissed and nuzzled her till the dense afterglow passed. When she was able she smiled the biggest silliest grin she had and sweetly pushed his bangs from his face with one hand. She leaned in close enough to kiss him, but stopped a mere inch from his lips before she freed drenched her hand from between her legs and began to greedily, sensuously lick at every dip and crevice to clean her hand. A sardonic grin crossed her lips; her sticky juice covered hand was a mere eyelash from his adorable nose. She moaned deeply when she watched him inhale deeply. She almost came again when she felt his shy innocent tongue stretch out and timidly taste her feminine essence. She would drive him to the brink of insanity. When she was satisfied that they'd licked her clean, she smiled sweetly at him and kissed him lovingly. Then with a little excited bounce that sent several tiny little bouncy aftershocks to her large breasts she simply had to ask, "did you like it?"

He starred, and nodded. It was all he could do. The virgin Quincy was getting an intense, rapid, and extremely intimate sexual education from a truly sensuous and most desirable woman. It was hormonal over load and little Uryuu was being a selfish prick again with the embargo he had on his body's blood flow. Even his wildest and most perverse Orihime fantasies couldn't hold a candle to that performance.

"YAY!" She bounced in his lap some more. "I'm glad you liked it Ury-kun, I figured you might be the naughty voyeur type. She shook her finger at him and mocked him from the night before, "you're a very-very-_very _naughty little boy!" It was a light scolding. She buried her face in his neck and was pleased when his natural reaction was to tilt his head to give her greater access. She left tiny red trails with her hungry lips, teasing bites, and soft kisses before nibbling on his ear lobe. Her heady low sensual voice returned and caressed his ear, "your turn."

His eyes went wide. This was some cosmic wet dream. Things like this don't just happen! He was excited and scared all at once. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that he couldn't sort out at the moment because for the past fifteen minutes his higher head had been lacking sufficient blood flow. All he could weakly manage was a cracking voice, "you're the boss." He sounded like a boy going through puberty; but he could see it in her eyes, his willingness to submit and be with her had just made his precious Orihime so very wonderfully happy. That was all he needed to be ok with whatever she wanted to do. It was really just that simple, make Orihime happy. Truthfully, after the show she just put on, he never wanted or needed to be touched so badly in his life. He had never been intimate with anyone. Orihime was his first, his last, his only true desire.

The next words he heard were soft and loving, "don't worry Ishida Uryuu, I will never hurt you," the tone changed and a frisky little sex goddess whispered into his ear, "unless of course you want me to." His eyes slammed shut and he grunted hard, she was too much! His face turned red when she backed up off his lap and saw a rather large and completely wonderful wet spot soaking through his sweat pants. She thought to herself, _'or maybe I will hurt you,'_ he seemed highly aroused by the teasing threat, she giggled; she was dying to know just how unstoppable his libido was. "Is that the first time since you called Urahara?"

He shook his head no. "The second?" No again. He watched her mouth hang agape and then hit the floor when he held up three fingers. "You came three times in what, fifteen or twenty minutes?" He nodded in the affirmative. _'He's too good to be true!'_ "All because of me?"

Finally he managed to meagerly squeak out, "hai, it's always you."

The Ishida Uryuu theme song began to ring loudly in her head, she had to sing it and shout it to the world, and it was a simple song after all. Once more the wayward cheerleader that lived inside of Orihime jumped straight up in the air, topless, and shouted, "UNSTOPPABLE!" at the top of her lungs.

That was enough for Uryuu; he fell down on his side laughing so hard it hurt. Nothing was as wonderful as his Hime-chan, nothing!

Five minutes later he caught his breath and finally sat up, his topless goddess squatted in front of him and looked at his wet spot, she was a woman on a mission! She would not be dissuaded. "Okay," she said in a tone way too serious for the setting, "how do I wake my other little Quincy up."

He cocked his eyebrow, _'I can't believe we're about to have a conversation about my dick.'_ "Your little Quincy?"

She huffed at him, "Well yeah _mine_. Does he plan on playing with anyone else?" She eyed him closely with a goofy grin on her face.

"He plays with me all the time." '_This is the most absurd conversation I've ever had.'_

She feigned an over dramatic sigh of relief, "well that doesn't count because you're mine too."

He thought about it for a minute, "Oh I see, well if you put it that way, your logic is perfectly sound Hime-chan." He beamed proudly, "both Quincy's are all yours." He leaned back and put laced his fingers behind his head. He was having the time of his life.

She had to resist the urge to pounce him and kiss him till his lips fell off. Being silly with him was so fun, _'he's not anything at all like he is at school.'_ "Ok," she poked his thigh, "what do I need to do to wake him up," still topless, she bounced up and down, pouted, and whined, "I want play with him."

Two sets of eyes watched an impressive tent emerge. "Well normally all _you _have to do it be breathing and he's ready to play, but pouting and bouncing up and down while your topless will do the trick too." He snickered at her and ducked his head when a flying bra and t-shirt came out of nowhere to viciously assault him.

She inched closer and straddled his waist; she could tell he was nervous. She helped him out of his shirt and lifted herself a little so he could slide out of his sweat pants. She would be gentle with him, at least until he was comfortable; until then he wasn't ready for anything else. She pressed him back against the wall and told him to relax; he didn't have to do anything. He settled his large hands on her hips just as her lips pressed to his, she kissed him deep and slow. Her finger nails raked idle paths along his chiseled chest and his strong back, she wanted him to relax.

When she felt him melt entirely into her kiss she stretched her arms back to rake her nails over his thighs. She was careful not to touch anything too sensitive. She knew that he'd never been touched before, she wanted him to experience everything she wasn't able to. She would touch him lightly, everywhere. When she felt his body tense under her feather light touches she would continue to kiss him sweetly and let her fingers idly caress him until the his tension dissipated. Finally there were no other auxiliary areas to cover. She brought one hand up to hold the back of his neck, the force behind her kiss intensified; her other arm slipped behind her back and slid languidly between his legs to delicately cup him over his soft cotton boxers. She felt his body grow rigid in response, he stole her breath as he sucked in a surprised gasp. She couldn't help but smile into his mouth; he was so sweet, so innocent, and so incredibly wonderful in every way. Orihime adored her Quincy boy.

The movements of her cupped hand were smooth and light, eventually she felt him relax again and sink back into her kiss. Slowly she applied more and more pressure till she was briskly massaging and rubbing his ball sack and the full length of stiff endowment. Steadily his grip in her waist tightened.

He moaned into her mouth, his body felt relaxed and at ease under her gentle loving care. She nuzzled her nose under his chin, his head lolled back to give her access as she worshipped his neck with her alluring lips, her skilled tongue, and her enthralling teeth.

He felt the wet warmth of her mouth clamp around his ear to nip and suck greedily. Her fingers nails scratched the back of his neck sliding up and down through the sensitive hairs at the nape. Delicately she slipped her cupped hand under the elastic of his boxers. He felt the soft warm skin of her small hand brush up against his naked manhood. His eyes shot open and slithered shut when he felt her welcomed fingers curl around his throbbing shaft and slowly begin to squeeze. "Orihime…" he breathlessly hailed, "this is… incredible." His reward was a sharp bite to the base of his neck, followed immediately by his deep languid moan of ecstasy. _'He likes to be bitten.'_

It felt strange, the feeling of someone else touching him, to feel someone else touch him _there_. He was used to his own hands. Now, there were delicate feminine hands cautiously exploring him. Kind, gentle, and caring hands that had never done a bad thing to another person, hands that belonged to a girl so sweet, kind hearted, and selfless, hands that belonged to someone who wanted to touch him. A loving hand stroked his shaft and caressed his balls. It gently squeezed him and lightly scratched at him. It was an innocent pleasure that he never knew he was capable of feeling. Everything about this moment was far more intimate than it was erotic. Tiny little whimpers of pleasure would escape him and find their way into her neck or her ear. He was drowning in complete pleasure. He could feel her touch radiate electricity throughout his body. He was acutely aware of every part of him that was touching her. His iron clad grip kept her firmly locked in place. His Orihime was right where she needed to be, right where she should always be. He couldn't let her move or get away. '_What did I do to deserve her?'_

Orihime explored everything she could touch with her nails, her finger tips, her fingers, and her palm; still trying to figure out what he liked. A few things seemed to illicit sharp responses from him. She wanted to make him happy, give him what he needed, to be the sole source of his body's pleasure.

She cupped and kneaded his balls in the palm of her hand. She was delightfully surprised and highly aroused when he dug his nails savagely into her hips and a faint growl escaped his chest. She began to graze his perineum with her index finger while she continued to gently knead and massage. His whole body stiffened against hers instantly. He was breathlessly panting against her.

His panting became heavier the longer she massaged his balls and teased the sensitive flesh that connected the anus to the base of his penis. Again she wrapped her hand around his hot throbbing shaft. This time he instantly began to buck in and out and fuck the hole her hand had encased around his neglected cock. She smiled into his neck and found a nice rhythm to counter him. Skillfully she squeezed his dick as he pumped through her hand up and down. She felt his whole body start to go rigid, his gasps and moans turned into pleading whimpers, his breathe was short and ragged. She could hear him try and say her name but he could never get it out. He was close, so close. She wanted to know what turned him on, what would finish him off. She had a hunch, another one. She dropped her other hand from his neck to his back and dug her nails deep into his smooth skin and raked them ruthlessly across his skin. His body stiffened, and his back arched out. She watched him cry out in euphoric pleasure. She starred intensely at him while he came. _'Beautiful,' _she loved this boy completely.

Warm liquid spewed from her perfect beloved boy, it covered her hand and exploded all over his groan and in his shorts. A feral thrill shot through Orihime's body and ignited an intense need between her own legs when she felt him bite viciously into her shoulder, almost as if he were trying to make sure that she would stay put as he continued to unload onto her hands. She was certain it would leave a nice mark. She knew then that her hunch was right, he enjoyed her nails across his back; he was a dangerous boy under a saint's visage. She slowed her ministrations on him as she felt his body start to come back down and relax. His hands dropped from her waist.

She continued to straddle him, and lick her fingers clean of his sweet cum while she watched him bask in his first afterglow. She decided easily that she loved the way he looked after he came hard.

Slowly his awareness of the world around reawakened. The first thing he saw was his Hime-chan sitting on top of him starring at him adoringly. She planted soft butterfly kisses over his face, his neck, and his chest before leaning in to brush her lips against his. He smiled a bit dopey, he felt wonderful. Reaching up the caress her face, "thank-you Inoue Orihime, you make everything so easy, everything so wonderful."

She leaned forward to lie on his chest and hugged him tightly. "So you really liked it?"

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. She knew he loved it, she was just fishing, "Yeah sure, it was ok I guess." … "EEOUCH!"

She pinched his nipple for being a brat. Then she got giddy again and started to bounce up and down on top him. He fought the herculean urge to take her bouncing breasts into his mouth and start everything all over again. Her happy energetic voice made him feel at home, "Ury-kun, now that I've met the little Quincy, who's very nice by the way," she kissed his nose, "does that mean you'll take showers with me now?"

He couldn't help it, they were right there; he reached out with one hand and teased a begging nipple. He was pleased when her train of thought seemed to momentarily leave her and her eyes rolled slightly back,_ 'they're still nice and sensitive.'_

She watched him, she was happy she finally got him to loosen up. She wanted him to enjoy her body. "You can play with them some more… in the shower."

"You're the boss. You're also silly, sticky and sweaty, and we've got about 25 minutes till they get here. I want to see you naked again!" He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. In that position it was easy enough to strip the rest of her bare.

She squealed and kicked her legs in delight. "Ury-kun's going to clean me!" She clapped wildly behind his back.

'_My perfect girl is many, many things; goofy is definitely one of them! Where does she get all this energy?'_ Goofy, silly, and fun had never been a part of his life. He was definitely making up for lost time.

From her vantage point she could clearly see what she did to his back, even though she winced she was quite proud of her work. As he carried her to the bathroom over his shoulder he heard her genuinely concerned voice, "Ury-kun, do you want me to heal your back?"

With out a moments pause, "not right now; maybe later."

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**END OF CHAPTER**

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_**Thanks to those who continue reading. Since I don't get many reviews I've become content to watching the story stats page to see how often my story is accessed. Soo sad…. 'passive aggressive, I know. Oh well'**_

This chapter wasn't supposed to be this way. To those of you who want the smut, I hope it pleased. To those of you waiting to find out what the Orihime is and get a better explanation of her powers, I swear that will be the next chapter… uh, I hope.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

Reviews are always appreciated. I'm curious what people think of the story plot.

Please no flames or debates related to the religious contexts

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**Chapter Edit History**

2/13/2008 edited for grammar and spelling, no relevant content changes

2/13/2008 many grammatical changes aimed at making the character dialog easier to read, some spelling fixed, no relevant content changes

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**Chapter Summary**

Everyone that was going to meet at the Urahara shop to talk about Orihime's odd powers is meeting at the IshiHime household instead.

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**CHAPTER****8**

4:00 PM rolled around, the young couple had just enough time to finish up their shower and get dressed before Urahara and Yoruichi arrived with the beautiful Raien Priestess, Arisawa Shiori, who carried several party trays of food. Trailing behind her was her only daughter, a very distracted and unhappy looking Arisawa Tatsuki who. Much to Orihime's delight, Tatsuki, also had her hands full with food and drink.

While Orihime was happy to see her best friend and the yummy looking tiny mountain of food that she carried, Ishida felt a foreboding sense of bleakness about what the rest of the day had in store for the two of them. He watched his girlfriend's face light up when she saw her Tatsuki-chan. He watched her as she ran over to give her a choking strong hug before helping her carry the load in her arms. Orihime was just so wonderful. He wished it were possible for him to never have to take his eyes off of her. Even the soapy unicorn horn she made out of his bangs in the shower was wonderful.

Ishida noticed that Tatsuki seemed withdrawn and sad, _'what is she even doing here anyway and why is her mother here?'_ He looked intently back and fourth between the two Arisawa women as they worked with Orihime in the modest kitchen, eventually he turned to ask, "Urahara-san, is Arisawa-san the person you needed to consult with? And, is it necessary that Tatsuki be here?" He didn't want idle spectators knowing about Orihime's unique predisposition.

"Hai young Ishida, be patient. She'll explain after she's certain Inoue is properly nourished. She's been fussing at me, worried over the poor girl for weeks now."

Ishida couldn't argue that. He was grateful to Arisawa-san for her kindness; Orihime was in need of sustenance. He watched the hentai shop keeper stare at Yoruichi's unusually visible line of cleavage as she sauntered toward the other girls to snatch up a plate and grab some food. _'What the hell happened to her clothes?'_

It was as if the renegade Shinigami heard him, "Soi Fong did that." He motioned toward Yoruichi. "Yoru-chan thinks she's shrinking her laundry on purpose so she'll be more scantily clad. Isn't it delightful?"

"Hmmm, interesting." Both hentai took a closer look at the purple haired beauty. Everyone knew Yoruichi was an exhibitionist, she liked the attention. Orihime on the other hand only desired his eyes. Ishida couldn't help but feel grateful. He didn't like the idea of others looking at his Hime-chan the way he did.

Uryuu cocked his eyebrow up as if to say 'you didn't' when Urahara told him that he'd already sent a thank you card to Soi Fong for her much appreciated efforts. The violet eyed boy took that remark as his queue to start ignoring creepy old Sandal-Hat.

Through the corner of his eye he caught both Arisawa women starring at him, each one seemed lost in their own thoughts. A small chill ran down his spine. _'Thank kami Orihime is here! They're creeping me out!'_ He walked behind his girlfriend and watched with amusement as the pile of food on her plate grew taller and taller. After briefly surveying her fantastic figure he really had to wonder, _'where does she put all of that?'_

Everyone found a spot in the small living room to settle into. Until yesterday the small apartment had never accommodated more than a single person. Ishida sat down on the floor and leaned against the couch; Orihime claimed her proprietary throne and dropped down right between his legs. After all, who needs a back rest when you have a comfy boy to lean on anyway? His arms secured themselves possessively around her tiny waist which, after taking a quick inventory of her plate, was about to become intimately acquainted with roughly twenty pounds of salmon rice balls with a rich creamy chocolate pudding dipping sauce and a slice of anchovy pizza with, he leaned over her shoulder to get a better look, _'with, is that mustard on her pizza?'_ He ducked to hide his head behind Orihime; he'd hoped no one saw him as he tried to stifle his laughter. He really had to wonder what kind of meals Orihime's brother cooked for her when she was a kid.

Unable to resist the urge, he gently pushed the hair draped the back of her neck over to the side, instinctively her head dropped slightly forward to allow him easier access. He fought back a smile that had her name all over it as he placed an innocent kiss on the back of her neck. Softly he whispered a barely audible, "I love you" into her cute little ear.

She smiled demurely down at her plate then turned to kiss his nose. Once she finished swallowing her mouthful she whispered something to the wonderful boy behind. He promptly hopped up and disappeared into the bedroom. A moment later he returned with the small plastic aquarium that housed Cupid and Psyche. She smiled big at their little family. As soon as her Quincy sat back down and she felt his safe arms wrap her, she leaned back into him contently. She had her boy, her best friend, her baby turtles, and lots of food. Orihime was happy.

They tried to be discrete, but the room was silent and all eyes watched them. It wasn't until Yoruichi elbowed Urahara in the ribs for acting like a grade school student that the silence was broken. He'd passed her a note that said, "he's one pussy-whupped little puppy."

"Ok, let's het started." All heads turned to the beautiful Arisawa-san. "It's already late in the day." She looked at the couple sitting on the floor, "Do you two know why I am here?"

They shook their heads no in unison.

"Ok, I guess we'll start there," she looked tenderly at Orihime. It was easy to see she cared very much for the girl. "Kisuke and Yoruichi have been keeping me up to date on some of your recent power developments Orihime. I'm sure by now you've figured out on your own that your powers are rather unique and quite strong."

Orihime silently shook her head, Shiori-san was right. The auburn haired girl had known Shiori-san for as long as she could remember. In fact, she knew her even before she knew her Tatsuki-chan. It felt weird to hear Shiori-san talk about her powers. Even Tatsuki-chan didn't know about her powers until two weeks ago. _'Why does Shiori-san know?'_

Actually, it was her brother Sora who knew the raven haired priestess. When Orihime was younger her brother would take her to the park to play with the other kids. Every time they went Shiori was always there. She remembered how happy her brother was when talking with the woman. It made Orihime happy too, happy that her brother had such a nice friend. Thinking of her deceased brother made Orihime feel sad, she missed him. _'I'll have to talk to Uryuu about moving my stuff,'_ she felt empty without her brother's picture at her side. She loved him dearly; he always did everything he could to make her happy, he watched over her, and kept her safe. He was kind of like her Ury-kun that way.

"Orihime dear, believe me when I say there is literally no one else in this vast universe that is like you. The fact is there is not much about your origin or your powers that is known at all. The little bit that is known is not documented in any book or scroll. The knowledge has been passed down through generations, over many thousands of years, by word of mouth." The priestess could clearly see that she had both Orihime and Uryuu's undivided attentions.

The woman fidgeted with her necklace. Something about this evening clearly had her on edge. "The group responsible for making sure that this information survives from one generation to the next is known as the Raien. I am part of that group. I am devoted to the practices and the beliefs of the Raien, some might call me a high priestess of the calling."

Uryuu was curious. "You make this sound religious. Are you implying that generations of Raien have been guarding information about a girl who isn't even out of high school yet? And, why isn't this knowledge documented? Word of mouth has often proven to distort information." The elder Arisawa woman smiled softly at him. It was odd really. It almost seemed as if she was proud of him.

"I'll answer your last question first. The rest of those questions will eventually be answered, I promise. Now, this information, information related to Orihime, is preserved through word of mouth simply because it is too dangerous to be trusted to anyone not loyal to the Raien cause. I find that is much easier to leave a paper trail, one that can fall into the wrong hands, if there is paper to begin with. Information about something as special and unique as Orihime's vast powers must be protected against those who would choose to try and exploit her."

Ishida swore that last statement sounded like a stern warning directed squarely at him. Still he listened intently as the woman continued, "If such a form of exploitation is even possible, the dangers are far greater anyone can imagine."

He felt Orihime shiver in his arms and tightened his embrace. Uryuu could tell that his special girl didn't like what she was hearing. He knew it scared her.

"Then all of you are Raien?" The Quincy probed? It was a valid question.

"No my boy, not everyone her is devote Raien, just me," Shiori declared. "Tatsuki has yet to choose her path. And Kisuke and Yoruichi, over the course of many years, have proven themselves both trustworthy and immeasurably valuable to our organization."

"Ok, so then what do you know about Orihime?" Ishida wanted some answers. He couldn't help Orihime if he didn't know what was going on.

"We know what Orihime is. We know her reason for existing. We know her origin, but we do not know why she is actually _here_. That is, we know the big picture, but very little detail. Orihime has a unique aura. Since her energy is much more than just spirit energy, it would be incorrect to call her powers and her life force a reiatsu. Now, there are small group of gifted individuals, usually individuals who are offspring to gifted Raien of exceptional spiritual awareness who have an inherent ability, which often remains latent during the younger years of life, to see Orihime's energy. For Orihime, the perms power, energy, and life force are all interchangeable. They are one in the same."

Orihime and Uryuu both sat up.

"You can see me?" she said.

"What do you mean _what _Orihime is?" he said.

The priestess nodded, "Yes dear, I've been able to see the full force of your energy, since you were a baby. The woman looked toward her daughter who refused to look at her. Shiori's heart sank. "Tatsuki has always been able to feel your unique energy Orihime dear, but she cannot see you yet. In time she will be able to see you the same way I do. As for your question Uryuu, that's a bit more complicated. I'll explain, but first I apologize I don't mean to patronize either of you. I know that you are both in the top three of your class, but this is important. It's best to make sure we are all on the same page. And please hold your questions till the end."

"They nodded in unison."

"This is the basis of the Raien belief system; we like to call it the tale of 'The First and The Heart'. I assume your both familiar the general concept of multiple universes. Simply put, there are an infinite number of universes. The Raien believe this basic theory. The Raien are what many would consider an agnostic or pagan group because we do not adhere to the beliefs or teachings of any known dogma, but we do believe that there was a single entity responsible for the creation of this universe and all other universes. We call that entity The First." She looked back and forth between the two, "you have everything so far?" She watched their affirmative nods.

"Continuing, it is also Raien belief that for each individual universe The First created a single 'second in command', so to speak. There is only one 'second in command per universe'. This 'second in command' is known as both The Right Hand of God and The Heart of the Universe. We prefer The Heart. The reason we choose to call it The Heart is because all the energy of the universe continually flows into and then back out of The Heart, in much the same way a human heart pumps blood. The energy and The Heart are one in the same. The simplest way to describe The Heart is the conscientious sum total of all of the energy that exists in the universe. That energy is directly related to the existence of everything else. The First created the empty universes, but it is The Hearts that _built _them and constantly maintain them by using their own energy to create and destroy as they wish. The only stipulation is balance. Which is why we are having this meeting in the first place, evenly flowing positive energy is just as important as evenly flowing negative energy. If the balance of energy is disturbed, even the slightest bit, The Heart becomes unstable. If the instability is not corrected, the universe and everything in it, including The Heart will cease to exist and all energy will return to its point of origin, The First." Shiori could tell her words were causing Orihime discomfort and she could see the whirlwind of questions brewing in Uryuu's eyes.

"So you see The Heart is just as fragile as it is powerful."

Orihime didn't like any of this, at all. The Raien priestess, the woman she'd loved, trusted, and apparently not known for years was scaring her. She shifted onto her side and wrapped both her arms tightly around Uryuu. Right now, he was the only comfort she had.

Shiori watched the emotions play across the couples faces. Uryuu seemed to want to hurt her for upsetting the sweet girl in his arms, his desire to protect and provide for Orihime pleased her greatly. However, the elder Arisawa in no way enjoyed scaring the sweet girl or even complicating her life, but she had no choice. Orihime's power was not stable, and before the consequences became dire, her balance had to be restored.

Shiori knelt down to match Orihime's eye level, tears began to well up in her own eyes when she looked at the young girl she'd happily call daughter. Orihime was silently crying. "Orihime, do you understand what it is that I am trying to tell you?"

Orihime nodded. "I don't like it Shiori-san. I don't want to be The Heart. I just want to be Orihime."

She wiped her own tears away and then Orihime's, like any loving mother would. "I know dear. It's a lot to handle, but everyone in the room is here to help. I promise, we'll do what ever we can. Your powers aren't stable Orihime, some part of you knows even better than I do what that could mean."

Shiori was right, some part of Orihime knew who and what she was. She knew her own importance and the catastrophes that could come from not properly handling the energy that flowed through her.

The older woman hugged Orihime, she wished that she could comfort her, but she knew that was not possible. "Orihime-chan, there's more to tell. Please dear, bare with me tonight, I have faith in both you and in Uryuu, let's work to make tonight the worst of it ok?"

A scared girl nodded and wiped her teary eyes and runny nose on the soft inviting t-shirt the boy beneath her wore. She sincerely hoped that tonight _would_ be the worst of it.

Shiori assumed her previous position. She really didn't want to, but she continued. It was necessary. "The Raien serve as a support system for The Heart. We don't know the origin of this next bit of information, this particular part dates back further than human or Shinigami can track, but for some reason the Raien were made to believe that the Heart occasionally takes a physical form, we call that physical form a vessel. Like gigai to Shinigami. We have no idea why The Heart does this and we have no record of it ever happening, but we still took precautions. If The Heart should take a form that we recognize, for example human form like Orihime, we work in the background to try and keep The Heart from harm, we help provide basic necessities, above all we do what we can – without interfering too much - to help ensure that The Heart remains happy. Those truly devoted to the calling of the Raien choose the welfare of The Heart over all else - our families, our friends, even our very lives. We have tried to do all of this for Orihime. Aside from little things here and there, we've played two major roles in Orihime's life. One is funding. Orihime dear, the money you receive every month is not from estranged relatives, it is from us. You do not have any relatives."

At this point, the money didn't really surprise Orihime all that much, _'What does she mean, I don't have any relatives?'_ "I do, my brother Sora." A very uneasy feeling crept through her.

Shiori looked toward the far wall of the room searching for her daughter. She really did love her daughter dearly. Tatsuki wasn't even paying attention, but she really didn't need to. The raven haired karate champ heard everything last night. Even though it was tearing Shiori's heart in two, the kind woman couldn't blame her daughter for being angry with her, for feeling betrayed by her. She hoped that someday Tatsuki would understand.

"Orihime, did you know I had three children?" said the priestess. She watched her surprised, no. "Well, I do, all by the same man, all by Tatsuki's father."

Orihime poked her head up. It was the first time since Shiori-san began talking that she realized she didn't know where her Tatsuki-chan was. She saw her sitting alone against a corner in back of the room. She'd never seen Tatsuki-chan so sad and hurt before. She didn't like it at all. Somehow she had a feeling that her Tatsuki-chan had only recently learned of the existence of her siblings. Orihime interrupted Shiori and squatted down right in front of her best friend. She smiled big, "Tatsuki-chan come sit with me, pleeeeease." She held out both her hands to help the spikey haired girl up. Tatsuki was never good at denying Orihime things. She took her friend's hand and walked back over to the front of the couch. Orihime dropped down on the floor right between her two favorite people, her special boy and her best friend. She placed her head on Tatsuki's shoulder and tangled the fingers of one hand with the fingers of her favorite boy, and laced the fingers of her other hand with the fingers of her favorite girl. "Ok, I'm done, sorry I interrupted you Shiori-san."

Something was clearly on Arisawa-san's mind. For nearly a minute she just sat and starred at the young faces in front of her, one face in particular.

The priestess blushed lightly. "Oh, my, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to zone out like that. It's been a long day. Ok, where was I? Ah yes, Ryuu, my first born; he passed on not long ago. An accident took him from me."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Shiori-san, I didn't know. That's horrible." Orihime's compassion was wholly sincere. She smiled softly at Shiori-san when she was met with a courteous nod of thanks from the gentle woman. "And the other kid?" She genuinely wanted to know. The sweet girl thought it would have been the most wonderful thing to have four Arisawa's in her life because even with though she only had two; she couldn't imagine her life without them. She loved them.

"Yes, the other child." Everyone could see that Shiori fought back her tears. "He, he is Tatsuki's younger twin brother. He is alive and well, very well." She choked a bit, "I'm quite proud of him."

Orihime felt Tatsuki's grip tighten… a lot. Tatsuki was mad! "Why isn't he with you, with Tatsuki?" Orihime was eager to know.

Shiori took a deep breath, why indeed. "Tatsuki's father and I had a disagreement shortly the twins were born. This is not what I wished for my family, for my children."

A calmly smooth masculine voice caught everyone's attention. "Well that's really putting it too mildly, wouldn't you say Shiori?"

Uryuu knew that voice, he shot to his feet, "Ryuuken, what are doing here!"

"I told you boy, that's no way to address your father. I see you are still crude and unrefined." Ryuuken scowled and looked as disinterested as always.

"I asked you a question Ryuuken, what are you doing here? If you have no business here then take leave or I'll have you removed." Ishida hissed at his father. He didn't want to deal with him, not ever and certainly not now!

"Foolish ingrate, I own this building and you are my son, who exactly will be throwing me out?" Ryuuken looked almost amused, "you?"

Uryuu loathed his father. The mere thought of him left a disgusting taste in his mouth. To this day he could never understand why his Sensei always defended him. "Fine, state your business!"

Even though his voice was calm and emotionless, the elder Ishida's gaze seared through the beautiful raven haired priestess, as he smoothly commanded, "Finish your story Shiori. Given recent circumstances, this facade cannot continue."

Orihime desperately wanted to know what the hell was going on. Tatsuki was silently crying. She wrapped both arms around her friend to calm her. Her special Quincy boy was mad. That alone was enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand. Orihime was ready to do battle over him. And Shiori-san, well she still looked on the brink of tears.

Shiori shifted to a more comfortable position in her seat, "Fine Ryuuken," she softly spat out. The tension between the two was palpable. The woman continued with her story. "My first son followed my path. He dedicated himself to the practices of the Raien. It was his choice. My husband wanted very much for him to live a normal life, a happy simple life, which he could live out in the open safely, without secrets or lies. Instead Ryuu chose the opposite path and was given the most important and honored task a member of the Raien could have. Orihime, dear," Shiori never thought it would be this hard, "you knew my eldest son as Inoue Sora."

The room silenced, Orihime's face turned white. She was breathless. Uryuu was worried; he was loosing patience with the _guests_ in his home. Everything Arisawa-san had to say, all of it, it was hurting his Hime-chan. He dropped onto his knees behind Orihime and pulled her in tight, he wanted to say something but what could possibly be said.

Shiori's voice softened, she spoke directly to Orihime. "When you came to us Orihime, you were just a baby. To anyone who could see your energy, you were easy to find. I followed your massive flows and ebbs. It took me two days to get to you. I found in a forested area at the base of Mount Fuji." Shiori's face held a motherly glow at the special memory. "You were so vulnerable, so cute, so naked, and so alone. The flow of energy around you was undeniable. I knew what you were, so I brought you back to Karakura town. All three of my children adored you. You seemed about the same age as the twins, I named you, I gave you a birthday, an identity, Kisuke forged all your paperwork so the government wouldn't bother us. As far as Japan was concerned you were just another brand new bouncing Japanese orphan who found a nice surrogate home. My son gave you that home. He raised you with the full guidance and support of the Raien."

He didn't like any of it. Ishida looked around the room and all eyes were on Orihime, _'SHE'S NOT ON DISPLAY! HER TORMENT IS NOT FOR YOU TO WATCH!'_ he screamed in his head. He remembered Orihime telling him how she felt about being on display. He lifted her up bridal style. He nuzzled his face against the top of her head, and glared at their now unwelcome house guests, "stay put!" he commanded before he disappeared behind closed door into the bedroom with his Hime-chan. It was his castle, and he was king, that was his order.

Her mind was blank, was her whole life a lie? She felt strong arms lift her up, she knew who they belongs to, _'Ury-kun.'_ She buried her face in his chest. She hated having everyone look at her, she felt frightened, scared and ashamed. _'Thank you Ury-kun, thank you'_ she silently pled as he carried her away from the greedy eyes of the crowd.

He laid her down on their bed, pressed his forehead against hers to stare into her large beautiful eyes, and he tangled his body with hers. "Hime-chan, he loved you didn't he? He didn't have your blood but he adored you as much as you did him, right? How could he not." He hated to see her like this, it made his own chest hurt. "Do you think you could you have had a better brother?"

Through soft sniffling cries, "but it was a lie Ury-kun."

The loving Quincy slipped his hand under the back of her shirt and idly traced random soothing patterns with his nails against her soft skin. "Not all of it was. The best parts weren't a lie, were they?"

"No," it was the voice of a sad girl.

"Do you think you would have grown up to be the wonderfully sweet and happy girl I love if you had always known who and what you were?" Uryuu dropped and sweet innocent kiss on her lips.

"No," she said with a little more resolve.

"Do you think he loved you like a sister Orihime?" Ishida rubbed the tip of his nose against hers.

"I know he did Ury-kun." She cried into him. "I miss my brother!" She felt the loving arms tighten around her. He kept her safe while she cried.

After a few minutes he felt her tears start to subside, "You know, this kind of makes Tatsuki your sister too!" Uryuu said with a slight smirk.

Orihime's mild sniffles continued, "I guess…" It was a nice thought, but not enough to cheer her up.

"You know we have to do this Orihime," he lost him self in the soft skin of her cheek.

"I know, but I don't have to like it." She smiled to herself when she felt his soft chuckling rumble against his chest.

"So we'll do what we need to do to make everything right, and then we spend the rest of our lives having fun. What do you say?" _'She's so beautiful.' _He smiled sweetly at the only thing wonderful enough to make him smile. "I'll be with you for all of it. Remember Hime-chan, you're mine. I'm not budging on that. You're the mother of our turtles; I can't let you get away!" He loved the way she sounded when she laughed. Ishida rolled his full body weight on top of her and wiggled around till she laughed at him some more and called him a hentai wannabe. When she got that naughty little glint back in her eye, he kissed her till her little hands started to roam south.

Orihime glared at him and pouted when he jumped off of her and the bed all together.

"You're insatiable!" He grinned wickedly. "And I love it! But, unfortunately we have company."

They both frowned. "Ready to go back out?" he asked.

Orihime sighed deeply, "under one condition."

Uryuu's head cocked to the side and one eyebrow shot up, "and that is?"

Orihime stood straight up on the bed and demanded a taxi service back to the living room in the form of a piggyback ride. Her perfect boy complied easily. He was putty in her hands when she waggled her eyebrows at him and said payment for his services would be rendered later.

The boy and his bouncy passenger headed back out to the living room. They immediately missed the mood and atmosphere of their bedroom. The living room was depressing and dead silent. They reclaimed their seats and politely asked Shiori-san to continue.

Everyone in the room was shocked at how happy Orihime seemed, _'what the hell happened in there?'_ more than one mind questioned.

Shiori sat back down, personally she'd had enough for the night, but there was so much more that needed to be said. Arisawa Shiori really was a woman with a wonderfully huge heart, but she dedicated herself to a calling, and sincere dedication to anything can often come with a high price. She paid dearly, the cost was her family. She took a deep breath and continued, she knew she was about to turn someone else's life upside down, and again it was someone she loved.

Before she could begin speaking again Shiori heard Ishida ask, "why tell us all of this now? Really, is all the family stuff necessary to fix Orihime's power instability?"

It was a good question. Shiori had to wonder what life would be like if the secrets did just continue to build up, even though she was truly tired of them. "I suppose the general answer is simply that I just don't know I just don't know what needs to be done Uryuu. Like I said earlier, we have no prior knowledge or record of The Heart taking a vessel, and given that Orihime has no knowledge that she is a vessel, I have to assume the lack of knowledge is intentional. Regardless, her powers are unstable and dangerous and since we are flying blind I had no choice but to expose her identity in hopes that maybe she could help shed some light on how to fix the problem. It just so happens that the history of her presence here is closely tied to my family." Shiori paused; she seemed deep in thought for a moment before she continued. "However, I suppose if her powers had remained stable, there would be no reason for explaining anything. All the secrets would remain secrets and she probably would have lived a full life as the wonderful girl we've all grown to love, and all without ever knowing what she really was."

"Any other questions before I pick up where we left off?" Everything seemed in order to proceed. Shiori made herself comfortable. "When the twins were born it was the same fight between my husband and me. I was, just as I am now, devoted to the purpose of the Raien, and my husband did not want our children to live secret double lives. He did not want the twins to be isolated from the world; he did not want them to live in danger, and to make endless self sacrifices with so little gain. My husband loves all three of our children; he only wanted what he thought was best. He didn't want them to make the same mistakes he thought we made. As a result, we split shortly after the twins first birthday. He took our son and I kept Tatsuki. We agreed to raise them independently. This is why," she paused briefly, "I know my youngest child only from a distance." It was clear to everyone in the room that Shiori was forcing herself to finish "the names of my sons are Ishida Ryuu and Ishida Uryuu. Ishida Ryuuken was and still is my husband. We never divorced."

Ishida's eyes shot open, "What!" He turned to look at his father who was staring avidly at Tatsuki.

"Yes," the older Quincy said in a tone far too casual for the life changing moment, "and my daughter, Arisawa Tatsuki." Without lifting his eyes from his estranged daughter he spoke to his estranged son, "Boy, believe it all. Arisawa Shiori is your birth mother and her daughter is your elder fraternal twin sister."

The speechless Quincy boy shifted his glance toward Tatsuki who was staring at his father, their father, with equal interest.

Tatsuki had never seen Ishida Ryuuken before. She knew of him through the handicrafts king and because the Ishida family hospital sponsored every karate tournament she'd been in, but she had never seen him. Tatsuki wasn't sure if she'd ever forgive her mother, and she had no idea what kind of man her father was, but at least she had the time to find out. Still, no matter what, she would never know her big brother. Tatsuki's attention was diverted from her father to her… twin brother. She turned to look at him but like their father, it was often difficult to determine what Uryuu was thinking or feeling through the expressions on his face.

"You knew?" It was his only question Uryuu had for his new sister, a girl he had gone to school with for literally as far back as he can remember.

"No, no I didn't know. My mother… uh… _our _mother" it sounded way too weird, "told me late last night."

Yoruichi and Urahara just watched, occasionally munching on some food. They were a part of this meeting because they were a part of the situation. They were only here for two reasons, one: they needed to know any new developments, and two: Shiori's credibility was better with the kids if they were standing in the corner backing her up. The two of them knew that if they displayed their support, the kids would accept Shiori's words more readily.

The two people Orihime cared about the most had just had their worlds turned upside down. She could feel them, they were hurting. She stood up and latched on to Uryuu's arm with both of hers. She wondered, she hoped, that her close presence calmed him as much as his calmed her.

Orihime watched the closest thing she'd ever had to a mother stare at the boy by her side; she saw longing, love, and so much sadness. Orihime knew Shiori-san did what she thought was best, although she wasn't sure if it was right. Uryuu's words echoed in Orihime's mind, '_So we'll do what we need to do to make everything right, and then we spend the rest of our lives having fun, what do you say?'_ Of everyone in this room Orihime felt that Arisawa-san was hurting the most, had suffered the most, and had lost the most. Unlike Ryuuken, Shiori was a kind, a caring, and a selfless person. She was a devoted, a loving, and a very involved parent. Orihime, apparently, loved all three of Arisawa Shiori's children, each in different and very special ways.

Uryuu's eyes followed Orihime when she left his side. He watched Orihime exchange a few polite words with the Shinigami before Yoruichi gave Orihime a hug and the old friends slipped quietly out of the apartment. His eyes never left her. He was surprised when Orihime went to speak with his father. His mouth nearly fell when he watched his father bow respectfully to her before following the Shinigamis lead and slipping quietly out the door.

Three sets of eyes watched Orihime and her happy smile as she bounded back over to lean into her special boy.

As he wrapped his arms around her warmth, he said what was probably on everyone's mind, "What's going on Orihime?"

"Ury-kun, don't you remember? You said we'll do what we need to do to make everything right, and then we'll spend the rest of our lives having fun. I want to have fun with the people that matter most," she leaned over to pick up Cupid and Psyche, "and that's everyone in this room."

A smile tugged at his lips, he didn't always think she had the best ideas, but she was smiling happily and he wanted that to last, "Hai, I remember. So what are we making right?"

Orihime wrapped her arms around him and beamed proudly up at her beautiful boy, curtly and cheerfully she peeped out, "our family! Don't we deserve a happy one?"

The giddy girl turned toward Tatsuki, "and when Ury-kun marries me, we'll be sisters!" Tatsuki and Shiori watched with amusement as both of Uryuu's eyebrows rose in surprise. Despite the tension they had to smile, that's just the effect Orihime had on people.

Finally, Orihime turned to Shiori, "and don't worry, we can fix me later, the universe won't implode _that _quickly."

Suddenly Orihime's eyes went wide with bubbly childlike excitement, "ohhh Ury-kun, does this mean that Tatsuki-chan is a Quincy too?"

He thought about that for a minute, "I suppose it does."

Tatsuki didn't know much about the Quincy. She knew they had powers, they were archers, and they had a penchant for white and blue. She also knew that being a Quincy was something that her long lost twin took insurmountable pride in. Tatsuki looked toward her mother, "is that true?"

Shiori nodded her head, "it is your divine birthright Tatsuki, your brother is right. Though you are untrained, you are a Quincy like your father and both of your brothers. Ryuu denied himself the path of the Quincy in favor of raising Orihime."

"I'll be right back." Orihime felt Uryuu kiss the top of her head, she realized he did that every time he had to leave her side, her heart warmed with her small realization, _'Ury-kun really does love me so much.'_ Se couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to feel so secure in such a simple and complete way. She watched him run in the bedroom. A minute later he came out carrying three small elegantly crafted silver boxes. Each decorated proudly with a majestic Quincy cross.

Uryuu took the box on the top and opened it. The inside was lined in the same noble tone of blue as the crosses stitched into all of his clothes. It was the same color and the same type of fabric Uryuu used to make his battle tunics. The name Ishida, U. was sewn into the lining. "When I was five, Sensei, grandfather gave me my Quincy cross," he pulled his sleeve up to display his cross. "It came in this box. Before he died Sensei gave me these other two boxes and told me to keep them safe. He said they belonged to other Quincy's in the Ishida line. I thought they belonged to relatives that had already passed. The proud Quincy opened the other two boxes and placed them on the table. Each box held a shiny unused Quincy cross. "I think this belongs to you Tatsuki," he pointed to the box with the name Ishida, T. stitched into it. "If you want, when Orihime is ok, I'd be happy to teach you about your heritage; it is your divine birthright."

Tears flowed freely down Shiori's face as she watched her children, her precious twins. She never thought this moment would ever possible.

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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Story updates won't always be as fast as they have been. I have had some free time lately.

_**Thanks to those who continue reading. **__**Please review**__**. Special thanks to JaneDoe01, Marada, and Bastion whose reviews provide useful feedback that I use to try and improve my creative writing style! You rock!**_


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

Reviews are always appreciated. I'm curious what people think of the story plot.

Is anyone having problems following the story line?

Please no flames or debates related to the religious context.

Beta'ed after the chapter was originally posted by Bastion

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**Chapter Edit History**

2/18/2008 This chapter has not yet been edited for grammar and spelling

03-12-2008 grammar and spelling changes

I still don't have any betas so please feel free to email me if you see something I need to fix

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**Chapter Summary**

Shiori, Tatsuki, and Uryuu spend the evening talking. This chapter is primarily devoted to learning more about the twins' past and their powers.

Some special Tatsuki time

New character introduced

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**CHAPTER****9**

For several hours now Tatsuki fidgeted with the shiny new bracelet on her wrist. At first it seemed silly that any object so inanimate and apparently lifeless would know who she was. That was until he said, "go on Tatsuki." He softly urged. "Try it on."

When she put it on she watched the bewitched metal adjusted to comfortably fit the form of her left wrist. A moment later there was a strong beat, a second pulse filled her. She felt as though she had two hearts. When the elegantly carved metal locked around her wrist, she felt a brief surge of euphoria. All of her reiatsu clamored under her skin to gather on the unique pulsating rhythm of her Quincy cross. It was as if a sixth sense had awakened. She felt her reiatsu course powerfully through her body.

Prior to this moment, the only energy she'd ever felt before was Orihime's. She'd never felt her own energy, and she had certainly never seen what pure energy looked like before. But there it was her energy swimming around her. She starred with fascination at her hands and arms as she swayed them smoothly through the air – she could feel the slight cackles of energy in the in empty space, or what she once thought was empty space. She never felt so acutely aware of herself before.

If either twin had doubted Shiori and Ryuuken's confessions earlier, there was little doubt now. A Quincy cross would only reveal the rhythm of its pulse to the single divine Quincy it was crafted for. The ability to craft crosses was a dying art. Ishida Ryuuken was the last to know the secrets of the passing trade. This Quincy cross, Tatsuki's cross, was crafted over 16 years ago. Uryuu watched decisively as the holy relic accepted its new master.

Tatsuki stared at her brother; she kept trying to reach out to touch his reiatsu. She could see it, and it was nearly identical to hers.

Uryuu stared in fascination at her. _'She really is my sister!'_ He wondered if this is what his Sensei saw in him, a younger Uryuu, the day he put on his cross. He would never forget the feeling. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. It felt like a spiritual awakening; a flood of ethereal awareness. It was truly an odd feeling to have two pulses. It took him awhile to get used to the new sensation. What he remembered most about that day was the feeling of his Sensei's uninhibited reiatsu. For the first time he truly _saw_ the noble and caring man that he reverently called grandfather.

"It's an amazing feeling isn't it?" He watched her closely. "It's like waking up when you never even knew you were asleep." He watched her grasp at the air, wholly enchanted by her new level of perception. _'She's even left handed like I am.'_ Without removing his eyes from his enraptured sister, Uryuu exposed himself to the fledgling Quincy. He slowly set his reiatsu free. The tiny bit of spirit energy he released condensed in the air.

His reiatsu felt like sanctuary to Orihime. She snuggled tighter against him and sighed complaisantly.

Even though he only let a small portion of his reiatsu ebb, Shiori marveled at her son's power. It was the first time that she had ever seen it. His ability to mask his energy was better than anyone she'd ever met before_. 'His father was right! Gifted indeed!'_ His self-restraint and mastery over his own power was remarkable. _'He's so relaxed, this is nothing to him. He has complete control.' _It was deliberate, controlled, and beautiful She watched her son's energy converge on his sister. _ 'I wonder what he's sharing with her?' _

She thought she saw something flash behind his deep violet eyes. It looked like, the power of The Heart. _'What was that?_ _No I'm imagining things. Why would The Heart put give its power to anyone?'_ Shiori decided that it was just the reflection of light off his glasses.

The priestess watched her daughter, some things were undeniable. _'Tatsuki has no control, but even her unrefined natural power was far greater than both Ryuuken's and Sooken's combined, and even they were considered very gifted by Quincy standards.'_

Shiori was the Raien elite, the High Priestess, born with a unique understanding of the ethereal properties of energy and an uncanny spiritual awareness. She had no readily useful or tangible powers of her own. Her most remarkable ability was her ability to breakdown her own body to its most basic state of being. She could become a being of pure energy and still maintain full conscientious awareness - pure intangible energy with a mind, individual thoughts, and a memory. It was an extremely difficult feat. She'd only been able to do it once, and she nearly died trying to reconstruct her physical self.

The passive powers of the Raien were clearly nothing remotely similar to the offensive powers of the Quincy which worked through the manipulation of energy. Though combined, the powers of the Raien and the Quincy complimented one another quiet well. Raien powers in a Quincy would enhance all natural spiritual and energy abilities by something far-far greater than the abilities of a Quincy in Final Form

But Arisawa Shiori understood power and energy in a way no one else did. She watched in awe while her children played. They were undeniably a gifted new breed of energy wielders entirely, '_The Exalted Quincy.' _ It was planned evolution. They were a combination of supreme spiritual awareness, with an instinctual understanding of the properties of energy, and the power to manipulate it. _'I can't believe it worked!'_ She awed.

Then the High Priestess of the Raien saw something she never expected. She watched all the energy in the room flow toward Orihime. However, that was to be expected. All of the energy in the room flowed through The Heart. That's just the way the universe worked. All energy is either positive or negative and thus drawn to the unique rhythm of The Heart's pulse so The Heart can maintain the fragile balance of the universe. All energy flowed toward her except the twin's energies. _'Neutral independent energy? How is that possible?_' The woman was baffled by the possibility and had no idea what it could mean._ 'Are they anomalies?'_

Oblivious to her mother's musings, Tatsuki was lost in her own magnificent wonders._ 'This is incredible.'_ Tatsuki both saw and felt Uryuu's power swirl with hers. There was no rejection – no resistance. Their powerful energies were meant to flow together. The differences were trivial. Her reiatsu was raw and untamed. His was skilled and disciplined.

She shuddered involuntarily. So much combined intimate power. She'd never felt so alone and yet so close to anyone before. He was open an unbridled with the parts of him that he chose to share. She knew that everything he revealed to her was his truth. His love for Orihime astonished her, his devotion to her was inconceivable, and his fear of failing to save her was very nearly unbearable, excruciating. Such incredible power, yet_ 'his love totally dominates everything.' _She didn't desire her brother, but for the first time in her life Tatsuki truly envied another. She envied what Orihime had. Still, she wondered how someone so consumed, so capable, of such intense love could be such a grumpy elitist prick all the time.

Uryuu continued to speak as he watched her experience her first coalescence. "The day Sensei gave me my cross was also the day he revealed himself to me. It was my first coalescence."

Tatsuki felt him pull back his reiatsu. It only took a second to regain her calm.

The proud Quincy noticed that the two newest women in his life hitched an insinuating eye brow at his last comment. He gasped in disgust. "I'm surrounded by hentai! Sensei was _not _a creepy old man, and how dare you think such things of him!"

Shiori laughed, she knew Ishida Sooken well. He truly was a kind man. "Uryuu, I'm sorry. Sooken was a wonderful man; you're just so serious all the time!" She continued to speak softly under her breath, "just like your father." Shiori was met by the cold four-eyed stare of an irritated boy.

"I heard that too!" Uryuu grumbled in annoyance.

Tatsuki never knew the guy and shrugged it off. And even though she was still reeling from her crash course in reiatsu, she was silently amused when she realized that picking on Uryuu seemed a lot more fun now that she knew he was her brother. _ 'I'm going to have to talk to Orihime and see if I can take my promise back! Surely she'll let me pick on him now without kicking my ass for it.' _

Uryuu closed his eyes and sighed, he didn't like anyone poking at fun Sensei. They had no right. Then he felt his heart skip a little beat when the voice of his champion defended him.

"I like Ury-kun just the way his is." Orihime smiled big and bright for her favorite Quincy and kissed the palm of the hand he had protectively wrapped around her waist. "Shiori-san, why do you say things that you know will upset Ury-kun? That's not very nice."

Tatsuki's idea went right out the window. _'Damn it, Orihime won't let me have any fun.'_ She sighed in momentary defeat when she realized that Orihime wouldn't let anyone pick on her bow wielding body pillow.

Shiori felt like a first class heal. The way Orihime voiced her concern made her feel like a bad person for stooping so low to get such a cheap thrill by playing on her son's strongest feelings. She knew the young girl was right too. Uryuu's grandfather was a sensitive subject for him. The priestess took one look at the auburn haired girl and thought it would be easier to face a firing squad than have Orihime's insidiously sweet stare bore down on her waiting for an answer. _'Wow, she's sensitive! Tatsuki wasn't joking about her territorial temper.' _If the baneful look in Orihime's eye was anything to go by,Shiori had no doubt in her mind that the girl would defend her son viciously, even against family members taking low blows. _'What's with those two?'_

The elder woman sighed heavily. She didn't mean to hurt her son, and she had no desire to piss of the most powerful being in the universe. "I'm sorry Uryuu. Orihime's right, I shouldn't pick on you about such sensitive things. I may not have been around when you were growing up, but I know how much you loved your grandfather. You really were his pride and joy. I won't do it again. Although, being like your father is not such a bad thing. He's quite a wonderful man, and even though he'll never show it he is remarkably proud of you. He loves you, you and Tatsuki very much. You shouldn't judge him so cruelly till you understand his position."

Uryuu remained calm but half expected his own eyes to pop out of his head. "You defend him like Sensei did." He paused momentarily to calm his building frustration. "You don't know the man like I do!"

Shiori understood Orihime's need to defend what mattered most. "You are right Uryuu, your grandfather and I will never know your father like you do. We know Ishida Ryuuken much-much better than I gather you ever will!"

Uryuu closed his eyes to try and think pleasant thoughts, or count to ten. Whichever worked, he just needed to calm down. His _mother_ was trying his patience. He laughed to himself when he got to five and realized that his pleasant thought was watching Orihime undress. Each time he counted the next number she took off another piece of clothing.

Orihime felt her little Quincy press against her backside. That was enough to send her thoughts awry. Her eyes fell half-lidded. She drifted off to a silly time, mere hours ago when she blindfolded her undercover god in the shower and scrubbed every last bit of him clean from head to toe. It was all done under the teasing and watchful single-eye of the same little Quincy that was currently, without shame, jabbing at her lower back. She had to wonder if the little guy knew the meaning of the words 'down time.' She really hoped he didn't!

'_Orihime's turning me into a damn hentai!' _He was outwardly grinning like a goofy fool by the time he got to ten. He decided he liked counting and he would do it more often. Tatsuki's voice, as it turned out, was an instant mood killer. He felt the tightness in his pants ease up when her voice recalled him from his burlesque mental perversions.

"Well, I don't know the guy and after listening to you two, I can't tell rather that's a good thing or not."

Uryuu was the first to speak. "Consider yourself lucky!"

Shiori just frowned. "I'll let you make your own decision Tatsuki-chan. He's your father, and rather you end up liking him or not, I think it's finally time you got to know him."

Uryuu curiously turned to Tatsuki then looked pensively at his mother. "Speaking of, what _did _you tell her about her father?"

Tatsuki remembered the talk she had with her mother last night. She remembered her own reaction to finding out that Ishida Uryuu's father was also her father too. "Mom, if you knew who my father really was, couldn't you make up a better lie?"

It was so long ago. The day it happened Shiori was caught off guard. She nervously sputtered an unconvincing, "I don't know" the first time her young daughter asked about her father. At that point she really didn't have many options. Any explanation following "I don't know who your father is dear" was destined to be horrible.

Tatsuki watched her mother squirm. She looked just as uncomfortable now as she did last night. Her mother was always a dreadfully horrible liar. It was the worst lie ever and Tatsuki felt like a fool for ever having believed her mother in the first place. Before Shiori could open her mouth, her merciful daughter spared her. "Ha, get this! Mom told me she didn't know who my father was. She told me that when she was studying the culinary arts in America she met this handsome young cooking prodigy who serenaded her with delicious and exotic food.

Apparently," Tatsuki watched Orihime suck-in both of her lips in a noble attempt not to laugh. Orihime already knew this story. "I was the product of some very premium sake and a hot one night stand."

Laughter ensued; Tatsuki and Orihime couldn't help themselves. Shiori blushed, and while Uryuu was highly amused and reveled in the feeling of a laughing Orihime in his lap, in the back of his mind he loathed his father even more for being a sneaky, cunning, and conniving son-of-a-bitch. His father was nothing at all like Shiori.

When the laughter died down the same question of parental forgery was turned on him. "Ryuuken showed me many pictures of a woman he called Aso. He said she was my mother." Orihime watched him closely; he seemed sad and lost in thought. He spun his detached tale as if he were recanting someone else's life and not his own.

"She was beautiful_." He fondly remembered flipping through the photo albums. 'She looked so much like Yoshino and Ran'Toa.'_.' In fact, many of the older family photo albums have pictures of the two of us, her and me, together. Ryuuken said she was an orphan. He said she was a ward who was never adopted. A woman who had no family of her own except the one she made, with him and with me. He said she died of tuberculosis when I was two."

Uryuu never questioned his father about the woman; the elder Ishida covered all his bases. "He said she was cremated. Even now, he has the urn in his house. The name plate read, _never forgot Aso_ - _those who were left behind._"

The air was thick with an uncomfortable silence.

"Please don't hate your father for that." Shiori tried pled. _'Never forget Aso, those who were left behind.' _Her heart ached.

"You were never supposed to know about Tatsuki. You were never supposed to know about me. Your father did everything he could to try and minimize the pain and void of being raised by only one parent. There is no Ishida Aso." The priestess dropped her eyes in remembrance of a most special and unforgettable day. "The two of you were conceived at Aso National Park. Your father took me there for Valentines Day. Nearly nine months later, on November 6th, you were both born." Her Ken-kun was a closeted sentimental old fool, and no one knew it but her. She missed him.

She wasn't looking, but she could feel her son's eyes lock onto her, "Shiori-san, who was the woman in the pictures with me?"

"Well we did hire a nanny to help out with the two of you right before you were born. It may have been her." Shiori remembered how difficult her third trimester was. The discomfort and pain was so endless and intense. "I'm not sure if it was you or Tatsuki or even both but I was in bed for weeks before the two of you were born. You sure weren't making it easy on me! So your father hired a nanny to help with the chores that I was unable to do. We kept her after the two of you were born. In fact, she was so wonderful with children that I kept her with Tatsuki until she was six. It was sad really. She was so beautiful and young, but she couldn't have children of her own."

Tatsuki's eyes lit up, she loved her childhood nanny. She often wondered what happened to her. "Oh you mean Yoshino-san?" The karate champ enthusiastically inquired.

Orihime gasped in surprise. _'It couldn't be?'_

"Do you know where she is Mom? It would be nice to say 'hi' and see how she's doing." Tatsuki's excitement was short lived.

"She's dead." A sad voice declared with absolute conviction. Tatsuki turned to her brother.

Orihime nodded. "It's true, we knew her. We were there when it happened, we saw everything."

Uryuu and Orihime spent the next hour or so reciting the tale of the Bounts.

Half way through the story, with a tummy full of Shiori-san's fantastic cooking, Orihime was fast asleep cradled in her Quincy boy's lap. It wasn't her fault; she was powerless to resist the sweet combined lulls of food and boy, her two favorite things. She was drawn to the rhythm of his pulse and helpless to resist the sound of his voice when it reverberated through his chest.

The story of the Bounts was so extravagant. Had Shiori not already known the rather unconventional penchant for mischief that Kisuke, Yoruichi, and a younger Ryuuken had a habit of getting into, she wouldn't have believed her son at all. And well Tatsuki had experienced enough _weirdness _over the past couple of weeks to believe anything. When the tale ended the Arisawa's were both in tears. Some day soon they would take the time to properly mourn the loss of their family friend.

The two women settled back down in their seats after taking a few moments to reflect and wash the tear streaks from their faces.

Shiori was watched curiously as her son's hand moved constantly under the blanket that he'd draped over his sleeping treasure. It didn't look all that innocent. In fact, it actually looked pretty bad and she really didn't know her son all that well. _'He can't be shameless enough to fondle a sleeping girl, especially in front of guests.'_ "Uryuu, what are you doing down there?"

"Huh?" The confused boy followed her line of sight. "Oh, that. Orihime sleeps better if I scratch her belly." He fought back the heartfelt smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth – he lost. The mighty and fearless Quincy didn't stand a chance against the Hime-drool.

"I see." Shiori's tone was doubtful and accusatory. She was both protective of Orihime and weary of the rampant hormones that consumed teenage boys.

'_Uh oh.'_ Tatsuki poked her mother's side. She was certain her mother wasn't aware of exactly what her passive aggressive "I see" really implied. Shiori had just questioned her son's honor, she had questioned his devotion, and she had just backhandedly accused him of molesting a sleeping rape victim. She hoped Uryuu missed it, she knew he could be a tad, just a tad, temperamental. _'Please don't kill my Mom, pleeease. She's just doing what moms so stupidly do sometimes.' _She hoped telepathy was a Quincy power.

Uryuu did not take kindly to insinuations of any kind that involved Orihime's displeasure, especially ones that involved abuse.

Shiori watched her daughter avidly who kept silently mouthing the word, apologize. The woman was clearly confused. "What?"

"Arisawa Shiori, you would be wise to mind your tongue!" He glared at the woman dangerously. "My relationship with Orihime is of no concern to you. As such, your opinions on the matter should be kept to yourself."

The priestess was taken completely by surprise. She felt the tide of the air change. Uryuu's reiatsu was unsettling and alarming. Though she had no idea why he was so upset, one thing was now clear as day - it was definitely the power of The Heart that swam in his eyes. '_Either he's lost a grip on reality or there is something I am missing. But that energy, I'd know that anywhere!' _

Orihime was now wide awake comfortably nestled in his arms. Shiori looked intrusively at the young girl, "Who is he? What did you do to my son?" She was scared for Uryuu. "He has your pulse!"

"He's Ury-kun. Who else would he be?" The girl, the vessel, clearly had no idea what the Raien priestess meant.

Tatsuki spoke for all the teenagers in the room. "What do you mean he has her pulse?"

"In his eyes, can't you see it Tatsuki? Surely you two can." The elder woman looked back and forth between her son and The Heart's vessel, "you can see the light in his eyes can't you?"

Tatsuki shrugged, seeing energy was something very new to her. Different types of energy were slowly coming into focus, but so much was blurry. She was certain there was still a lot she wasn't able to see at all. She hoped the rest would eventually manifest. Apparently Orihime's energy was one of the many that eluded her.

Orihime sat up enthusiastically. "You can see it too Shiori-san? Do you know what it is?"

"Hai, I can see it well Orihime now that he's not hiding it. It is something that shouldn't be there" said the priestess.

All recent transgressions of the woman's loose insinuating tongue were instantly discarded. "What do you mean shouldn't be there?" Uryuu was worried; worried for Orihime.

"Well, let's see." The woman thought for a moment. _ 'What's the best way to explain this?' _"Ok … the Heart of the Universe has a very condensed mass of energy at its center. That energy has sort of its own unique signature or pulse. It is that unique pulse that attracts all other types of energy. Simply put, no matter where The Heart travels to, its how all energy knows where home is, it's drawn to the rhythm."

The concern was clearly painted across Shiori's face. "Some of the condensed energy that makes up The Heart's pulse is inside of you Uryuu. The rhythm matches Orihime's exactly, only her pulse beats much louder."

Suddenly a few things made perfect sense to Uryuu. "Well, there you go!" The younger archer looked down into his favorite set of eyes, "guess that explains what happened in the bathroom this morning."

"What do you mean? What happened in the bathroom this morning?" Shiori listened in horror as her son relayed the events that occurred earlier in the day. Of course, Uryuu left out the part about their masturbatory excursions.

Uryuu could tell that Shiori wanted to talk about the bathroom incident more. He could see how alarmed she was when he told her that the energy tried to converge on him. It shook him up pretty badly too, but he tried to hide own fears, he didn't want Orihime to feel any worse than she already did.

"Mom, it's late. Are we sleeping here?" A groggy Tatsuki yawned out.

"No, you can't sleep here Tatsuki-chan. Sorry." Everyone was surprised when Orihime answered.

"Hey there Hime, I thought you were asleep. Watching you is making me sleepy too." The girl smiled at her friend and envied how comfortable she looked. "Please Mom can we go soon?"

"Tatsuki-chan, the puppy dog eyes are over kill dear." Shiori pinched her daughter's cheek, "but I'll never get tired of looking at them." She turned a motherly tone toward her son, "and I presume Orihime is sleeping here?"

Before the boy could answer Orihime belted excitedly, "Of course I'm sleeping here! I live here." She was so happy to finally get a chance to tell someone that she lived with her Ury-kun, she couldn't contain herself.

"WHAT! What do you mean you live here Orihime? With him?" She pointed toward her son. "Oh no you don't. I know where you live Orihime dear, I pay your bills."

"Well she lives with me now," proclaimed Uryuu.

"Oh really? So who sleeps on the couch then?" Shiori wasn't about to let two handsy teenagers play house.

Orihime giggled, "That's silly. No one sleeps on the couch Shiori-san. We sleep in the bed. Ury-kun's my special Quincy pillow."

Uryuu's face turned flushed. _'I can't believe she said that.' _Via a stern glare he promised death to Tatsuki if she laughed!

Tatsuki was wide awake now. This was great watching her mother try and be a mother to two kids who had lived without parental guidance for years now. And to top it off, she knew Japan would run out of fish before her best friend and her _Quincy pillow_ would part. They couldn't keep their hands off of one another.

Uryuu finally got his blush under control. "Shiori-san, playing the mother card won't get you anywhere. I already told you our personal relationship is of no concern to you. As such, your opinions on the matter should be kept to yourself."

"No, I don't think so! You two are too young to play house and have sex! It's just not proper." The mother in her wouldn't back down.

"What? We aren't having sex Shiori-san. We just sleep and shower together. Ury-kun won't let me have sex with him." Orihime's sex-deprived pout was overdrawn, animated, and entirely comical. At least it was to Tatsuki who couldn't help but roll on the floor in laughter.

There was no safe place to hide from the embarrassment. Uryuu looked like a red crayon who'd been bitch slapped with a wet fish. _ 'Oh Orihime, I was so very-very wrong. This is so much more embarrassing than finding out you were listening to me have a conversation with my dick and masturbate.'_

Shiori, who also looked like she'd been bitch slapped with a wet fish, buried her face in her hands to keep her head from exploding. _'Oh kami help me!'_ She always thought Orihime's knack for saying innocently inappropriate things was adorable, until now. _'I can't believe she just said that.'_

Tatsuki loved every minute of it. Disneyland Tokyo couldn't hold a candle to this. Finally she decided it was a good time to get out before her mother recovered from this latest bout of top notch Hime-ness. "Come Mom, trust me they will be ok by themselves. I'll explain everything on the way home." She forced her shell-shocked mother to her feet and dragged her out the door." On her way out the door she heard Uryuu call for her. Still trying to keep her mother at bay she stuck her head back through the front door. "What-now shower boy?"

"Make no mistakes Arisawa Tatsuki; I will get you for that!" He scowled.

'_God I hope Orihime doesn't kill me. This is too perfect. I'd come back from the dead to pick on him with ammunition like this.' _She thought as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah sure. Whatever soapy-stud-sama. What did you want anyway, I can't hold her back forever you know?"

If he knew he could get away with it and not hurt Orihime, he'd kill his boorish twin! She had a point though, he needed to get to the point before Shiori-san came back in to lecture them some more. He couldn't bear further embarrassment, and he didn't want Tatsuki to have the opportunity to gather any more embarrassing ammo than she already had. "Fine!" He grit his teeth. "Orihime and I need a favor. Can you and your mom work out some way to move all of her stuff over here and close out her lease?"

"Wow, so she really is moving in with you?" The huge smile on Orihime's face was all the answer she needed. "Sure thing Prince Charming, I'll pick up some extra soap too." She gave her brattiest smile before sticking her tongue out and slamming the door shut.

Orihime was entirely amused. _'If I concentrate hard enough I can see steam shooting out of Ury-kun's ears.'_ Orihime knew the difference between playful picking as a show of endearment and affection and the hurtful kind that came from a mean places. There was a big difference. Tatsuki used to make fun of her Ury-kun because she didn't think very highly of him and that is something she would never allow. Ishida Uryuu was great and wonderful, and only people who knew that could pick on him. Low blows excluded.

"Argh!" Uryuu roared in frustration and looked at the amused girl in his lap. "Are you going to let her get away with that?"

All hopes of salvation were lost when she nodded, her sparkling eyes said, "you bet buster!"

"I see." He took his glasses off and set them on the low table before throwing the blanket aside. By the time Orihime knew what hit her she was happily pinned and squirming seductively beneath her sexy undercover god. He straddled her waist, kept her legs pinned down with his own, and held crossed wrists above her head with one hand. The other hand tickled her mercilessly. It was a fitting punishment.

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"Finally!" Tatsuki was tired. She dragged herself to her bedroom, she was happy to be home. _'This new life is a pain-in-my-ass, but it's kind of cool.'_ She half expected her mother to walk in and tell her that Hello Kitty was really her childhood pet, that anime didn't really promote bestiality and robot sex, and that Orihime's half robot-half brain eating zombies were distant relatives that lived on Mars who invented the microwave.

"Kami I'm tired." She sighed out loud while she stumbled across her pitch black room leaving a trail of discarded clothing behind her as she slide into her inviting bed.

"AHHH!" Tatsuki screamed while applying a few knee-jerk punches at the unsuspecting warm body in her bed.

A second voice perked up defensively. "What the fuck, cut that out. You know I love it when you beat me senseless, but damn I was asleep!"

Shiori came running when she heard her daughter scream, she tried to run into her room but the door was locked. She was frantic! "Tatsuki, Tatsuki are you ok? Let me in. What happened?"

Even though it was pointless under the pitch black cover of night, Tatsuki glared at the body in her bed. She whispered, "this is all your fault," before she cracked open her bedroom door. "I'm sorry Mom, everything's ok. I didn't mean to scare you. I just stepped on a tack. It's all good. Get some sleep. We have to move all of Orihime's stuff tomorrow. That's going to suck."

Shiori breathed a sigh of relief, kissed her daughter good night, and headed back to bed.

Tatsuki yawned and headed back toward her bed. Before she could crawl in an outstretched leg uncomfortably logged its foot in her taut stomach. "What the hell?"

"You have too many clothes on. You can't get in." The voice was curt and to the point.

"You're the worst damn hentai I ever met, really. What's wrong with boxers and a sports bra?" Tatsuki put up a good false front. It was all show.

An annoyed yawn was heard through the dark. "We had this conversation already. You can't sleep next to me if you have clothes on. And no, I'm not leaving. Now be a good little tomboy and loose the threads."

The sleepy spikey haired girl complied. "Honestly, you can't see me, what's the point." She pulled back the covers and wrapped face to face around a wonderfully warm and delicious smelling pervert of a pain-in-the-ass.

"I can feel you. Besides if you decide to fuck me tonight, I don't want to deal with clothes."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "If _I _decide to fuck _you_? Doesn't it work the other way around?"

"Nope, I keep a tally. I'll show you in the morning; it's about 3 to 1. I may be a pervert Tatsuki-love, but you're a closeted basket case who is way more of a hentai than I am. So what's this about Orihime?"

"Hey we aren't supposed to talk about Orihime. What do you mean a tally? You keep track of every time we have sex? All two years of it?" Tatsuki really wanted to see this supposed tally.

"Oh come on. Just spit it out or you can take your mouth of my neck and remove your fingers from between my legs Miss 3-to-1."

"I hate you. You can be a real bitch sometimes." Tatsuki shoved two fingers up into the already dripping girl that snuck into her room, yet again. She was rewarded by a soft pleasure filled moan.

"That was deliciously mean, but you're getting soft. Too gentle! Now what's this about Orihime? Tell me or I swear I'll buy a chastity belt to drive you insane."

"Whatever Chizuru, I may be in the closest, but we both know that pussy's all mine!" She bit down hard on the other girl's breast. "See babe. That'll leave a nice mark for you. Mine!"

"You call me a hentai. Two can play at this Tatsuki." A warm hand slide up Tatsuki's leg. "So, Orihime?"

The karate champs resolve was weakening. She just wanted to get laid, cuddle, and sleep. Chizuru's hands knew all the right spots to hit. The girl could read her body like a book. "She moved in with her boyfriend."

"WHAT?" The red head quickly clamped both hands over her mouth for being too loud.

Tatsuki sighed in disappointment when the girl yanked her hand away.

"When did Orihime get a boyfriend? And where the hell has she been for like the past month? Who's the lucky guy that gets to bang that body?" Chizuru quickly found herself trapped uncomfortably beneath a pissed of tomboy.

"Let's get this straight right now Chiz, you go near Orihime, you touch her, you look at her funny, or you say one more derogatory thing about her ever again and not having a fuck buddy will be the least of your problems. You have no idea what's she's been through or who she is." She eased up her grip on the frightened girl. "And her boyfriend is Ishida Uryuu, he'll take good care of her, and one wise crack about him from you or anyone else and there will be a very big problem. Got it?"

The bewildered read head nodded. The girl on top of her fell back at her side. "I'm gonna go Tatsuki. I don't think you want my company tonight." Chizuru had no idea what was going on. She knew Tatsuki was a closet case and a bit rough around the edges, but she liked her just the way she was. She even liked to angsty teasing_. 'She's never threatened me before.'_ The red head rolled out of bed and started to gather up her clothes.

Tatsuki reached out and pulled the girl back into bed. She really didn't want her to leave, she liked being with her it was just hard to say sometimes. "Please don't go Chizzy. I'm sorry that I scared you. I have so much going on right now, I wish I could tell you but I truly honestly can't." You could hear the begging plea in her voice. "Please Chiz, you're the only thing I have right now that hasn't been turned inside out. Don't go."

Chizuru had never known Tatsuki to be so vulnerable. There was no way she'd be able to leave her alone tonight. The red head tangled herself in her karate girl and ran her thumb softly over her lover's eyebrow, petting her in smooth even strokes. This always seemed to calm Tatsuki down when she was upset.

Tatsuki felt her boiling blood calm under Chizuru's practiced touch. She whispered softly to her Secret Solacer, "I'm sorry I called you a fuck buddy, I know you hate that. You're more to me than that Chizzy, I just don't know what though. Please don't hate me."

That's what she wanted to hear, she didn't want to be Tatsuki's little lesbian experience or fuck buddy. Chizuru leaned in and left a sweet kiss on the troubled girl's lips. "I don't hate you Suki-chan. Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up."

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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Story updates won't always be as fast as they have been. My life's getting busy again.

_**Thanks to those who continue reading. **__**Please review**__**. I hope you enjoyed.**_

_**The reviews really do help me. I wonder what people like and do not like about the story. I look at the story stats to see where readers are staying and dropping but without feedback I can't fix things.**_


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

Reviews are always appreciated. I'm curious what people think of the story plot.

Is anyone having problems following the story line?

Longer than normal chapter. So not the norm!

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**Chapter Edit History**

2/26/2008 This chapter has not yet been edited for grammar and spelling

I still don't have any betas so please feel free to email me if you see something I need to fix

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**Chapter Summary**

Tatsuki has a history of taking care of herself and those around her. She's everyone's pillar of strength but refuses to be anyone's burden. There is only so much a person can keep inside, and so much has happened to her recently. This chapter is all Tatsuki and Chizuru. I know some of you don't like yuri or you just don't like this pairing, but they are here to stay and thus require character development.

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**CHAPTER****10**

'_Please no! Not now! Damn this sucks.'_ Chizuru sighed in annoyance. _'Why do I always have to pee when I'm in the middle a wicked hot dream? Maybe if I go real fast I can get back to the same dream.'_

The groggy half-asleep red head didn't even realize she was alone in the bed. On auto pilot, she made a b-line to the bathroom in Tatsuki's room.

"You better not stink it up in here," came a hidden voice in the darkness.

"Ahh! Crap Tatsuki you scared the… uh, crap out of me!" The girl giggled at herself. "Well not really, I just had to pee." Chizuru heard the swishing of tub water. _'Why is she taking a bath in the middle of the night and in the dark?'_ She flushed the toilet and walked to the sink, "what are you doing in here anyway babe? It's barely 4:00 AM."

"I couldn't sleep. Sorry if I woke you." Tatsuki had too much on her mind. She always had a lot on her mind, but her worries were usually rooted in the problems of other people. When Tatsuki did have problems of her own she always kept them to herself. She was a stubborn girl who was always willing to help but steadfastly refused to ever ask for anyone else's help. Arisawa Tatsuki would be no one's burden! But, tonight she really didn't want to be alone. "You want in here too, or are you going back to bed?" _ 'If anyone can put me back to sleep it's Chizzy.' _

Chizuru could tell something weighed heavily on her champs mind. The last time she saw her was during school on Friday afternoon and she seemed perfectly fine then, but tonight she was moodier and more distant than usual_. 'I hate that she always keeps everything so bottled up. I swear, one of these days she's going to snap and go on a karate chop killing spree!'_ She looked arduously at her lovers midnight silhouette. _ 'I bet I can cheer her up! Ha! I'm sure as hell gonna try! She's always there for everyone else; she deserves to get as good as she gives.' _

"Pssh! I was only going back to bed because I was in the middle of a kinky hot dream starring you. But hell, I'll take the real deal over a fantasy any time… Uhhh… so top or bottom?"

"Top" the dark haired girl replied while moving forward to give her companion room to settle in the tub behind her. She felt the water rise abruptly and a pair soft and tone girly legs wrap around her. Instantly she felt less alone. Tatsuki leaned back to rest comfortably against Chizuru's smooth stomach and cushy chest. _ 'I'm glad she's here tonight.'_

The green-eyed red-headed girl was in many ways a stark contrast to her hazel-eyed dark-haired bedmate. While one was entirely too serious, often violent, quick tempered, avidly athletic, distinctly boyish, and rather muscular from her years of dedicated physical training, the other was playful, rolled with the punches, was substantially less abated, somewhat lazy, undeniably 100 percent fru-fru girly-girl, and was soft and curvy in all the right places. Tatsuki had her mother and Chizuru had her wonderful, but mostly absentee father. Honshoo Sota loved his daughter very much, but he was always away on business.

"Ugh! I should have known." Two hands reached around and clamped down on Tatsuki's breasts and immediately went hard to work fondling the plump and perfect handful sized mounds. "You're such a predictable little hentai!"

"Stop complaining, I know you like it." The green-eyed girl pinched a nipple to stress her point. She was rewarded by a surprised girly moan. She felt Tatsuki's body begin to relax. Chizuru smiled victoriously when a head of wet black hair settled comfortably against her shoulder.

"Besides… and feel free to challenge me on this but you Arisawa are every bit the sexual degenerate I am! Just because you don't shamelessly pounce hotties in public doesn't make you a good little girl." Several key memories raced through Chizuru's mind and brought a wicked smirk to her face. She dropped a quick kiss on the wet spikey head in front of her. "In fact, I'd be willing to say I know you better than anyone and I am absolutely positive that you could put a dirty horny old Japanese man to shame!"

She felt the tremors of Tatsuki's silent laughter vibrate against her.

Chizuru was on a mission, a mission to exercise the gloomy demon from her sexy spikey haired teenage warrior goddess. "Aside from that, a girl like you with a body like this, it just can't be helped. I have to molest you! You're the best jungle-gym ever!" Climbing all over the athletic girl was indeed the lazy girl's favorite past time, and her most prominent source of exercise.

"At least I don't quite have your excessive fetish for biting." Chizuru nipped at Tatsuki's neck. It seemed to blend appropriately with the conversation. "You know I have like 6 sets of black and blue teeth marks on my thighs alone from your attempts to 'territorially mark me as your victory prize' last week in Osaka after you won the damn tournament."

Chizuru went to all of her tomboy's tournaments. She liked how excited Tatsuki got during a fight, and watching the beautiful hellion kick everyone's ass was a total turn-on. Besides, Tatsuki took pride in her martial arts training so Chizuru wanted to be there to support her. All of the tournaments were great, but the out of town tournaments were the best. They'd split a hotel room, situated away from the rest of the team, and they would enjoy their time together without the threat of being seen by someone they knew.

The troubled girl yawned deeply. Even though she would never admit it Chizuru's intimate presence in the tub _was_ relaxing and the red head's soft fondling of her body was always wanted. She liked how handsy and uninhibited the girl was. Her hentai girl's lips and hands were pure magic. They always made Tatsuki feel good, and it was all starting to slowly lull her back to sleep.

'_What? Wait a minute. What does she mean my –attempts- to mark and claim her?'_ "What the hell do you mean _attempt to_? I'm pretty sure I succeeded. I'd say you're pretty damn marked and I do recall claiming you quite a few times that night." Tatsuki sprung an evil and triumphant grin. "And yeah, totally, last weekend was great!"

Tatsuki remembered scaring Chizuru half to death that weekend in their hotel room. The freshly victorious, adrenaline pumped, and highly frisky three year running tri-regional karate champion snuck into the hotel bathroom after the tournament and tried to pounce her prey while she was oblivious - all soaped up and in mid-shower. Chizuru jump naked out of the shower to escape her sexy gi donning attacker and was relentlessly pursued over, under, and around the tables, beds, and chairs in their hotel room by a very playful and hormonally crazed spikey haired hell cat.

"It's impossible to catch you when you're naked, wet, and soaped up slippery! But damn, it was sure fun watching you run from me! The naked part made it even better." Tatsuki let out an audible laugh. Her wicked grin got wider. "And even more fun when you finally dried off and I caught you." The memory caused a sudden rush of heat to pool between both their legs. _That_ was a very fun weekend!

Mocking her lover's earlier words, "besides… and feel free to challenge me on this Pervy-chan but didn't you want me to mark you up even more? If it weren't for my aching jaw I would have. Geez, between the kissing you, the eating you, and the biting you my jaw hurt so bad I had to take aspirin! But damn it was so worth it!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, and who knew you'd find so many uses for your karate belt." Chizuru let out a few fake sniffles and wiped a false tear from her eye, "I'm just so proud of you." sniff sniff "I've instructed you well in the fine arts of perversion. You're just so damn trainable!" The cocky red head felt short nails burrow into her thigh.

Tatsuki hated being called _trainable_. Well not really, but she pretended to hate it, therefore Chizuru called her that every chance she got.

"Ouch! Ohhhhh, do that again baby girl, it's so cute when you try and punish me with your _little_ _nails_." It really did amuse Chizuru. While she had full length and perfectly manicured she devil claws, Tatsuki, the chronic nail biter, had hardly anything at all. _'Hmph! Just because I like girls doesn't mean I can't have nails, you just gotta know how to use them!'_

'_Damn finger nail thing again. She's obsessed with her nails.' _The dark haired girl concluded, _'must be a fru-fru girly thing.'_ The red head's finger nails scared the karate champ at first, but the hentai never once hurt her. In fact, it was safe to say Tatsuki would be very unhappy if Chizuru did ever end up cutting her nails.

Behind rested eyelids Tatsuki rolled her eyes in passive defeat, too tired to fight back and defend her distinct lack of nailness. Instead she continued to melt comfortably into the one person she could just be herself around, her Chiz, her sweet, soft, and silly Pervy-chan. The wonderful girl she so selfishly kept hidden from the rest of the world because of her own insecurities and her own inability to totally commit.

"So uh, babe when's your next out of town tournament?" Chizuru couldn't wait to return the favors from last weekend. _'Payback's a bitch!'_ "Babe?" The handsy girl slowed her ministrations and smiled sweetly when she thought the girl resting between her legs in the rapidly cooling tub had fallen asleep. She kissed the girl's temple and was surprisingly imparted with an uneasy sigh from her ward.

"I thought you fell asleep. What's wrong Suki-chan?" Apparently the gloomy demon wasn't fully exercised. _'She's starting to worry me.' _Chizuru nuzzled her cheek slowly against the side of her champ's damp, wild, and soft black hair. A small effort to try and soothe them both.

Tatsuki sighed, much more audibly this time. _'Damn, even if I could tell you Chizzy, where the hell would I start?' _She felt like a bad person for keeping Chizuru in the dark about anything. Tatsuki never felt the need to share herself with anyone but lately she found herself wanting to share everything with Chiz. It was an odd new feeling for Tatsuki, the want-the desire to share. She wanted Chiz to know everything that happened to her, everyday; especially everything that had happened lately.

The red head really was too sweet and especially good to her. The other girl never demanded anything from Tatsuki. She never tried to change her. She never tried to manipulate, trick, or guilt trip her into anything. Chiz never pressed any issues and when she wanted to, she had the patience of a saint. And strangely enough, Tatsuki had beens getting better grades, somehow Chiz always found a creative way to get her to study and do her homework. "I'm sorry Chiz, I can't tell you. I wish I could, but I can't. Most of it's about other people, so it's not really my place to talk."

The karate champ felt a pair of soft warm lips on her ear and rolled her head to give the sweet hentai of a girl better access. "Uhmmm, you feel wonderful…" a soft moan escaped. She could feel Chizuru's lips tighten against her ear into smug smile. The girl always seemed proud to bring her tomboy pleasure. Tatsuki had to wonder why the pretty green-eyed girl was so good to her. _'I keep our relationship hidden, I know I'm hard to deal with sometimes, and I always keep her way more than an arms length away. Hell, I don't even think I've told her that I like having her around all the time. She probably really does think she's just a fuck buddy.'_ Tatsuki certainly didn't feel like she deserved such apprized attention.

Between deep intakes of breath and faintly exhaled moans she managed to get a thought out. "Chiz, I know I make your life a whole lot more complicated. You deserve someone way better than me, someone who won't hide you. Why do stick around?"

Chizuru was happy Tatsuki couldn't see her shocked face. Never in the two years that they'd been sleeping together did the karate champ show any interest in understanding their relationship. She knew they were certainly much more than just fuck buddies, but she didn't know anything past that. Every time Chizuru would try to say something Tatsuki just seemed to sink down into her own thoughts without acknowledging anything the red head said.

Tatsuki's question was out of left field. Chizuru was in no way prepared to answer. "You know the more you want me to talk the less I can worship you with my mouth." She re-engaged her assault on the troubled girl's ear.

Tatsuki couldn't help but laugh quietly. _'Hrm, but she does make a damn good point... still.'_ "Just answer the damn question Pervy-chan."

Chizuru was slightly disappointed that her yummy ear feast had been cut short, but she couldn't pass up this opportunity to talk about whatever it was that was going on between them. Besides, even if her mouth wasn't molesting the gorgeous girl in her lap her hands were still hard at work.

"Let's see, why do I stick around?" Feigning deep thought Chiz tapped her fingers on the other girl's chest. "It's simple really. I mean have you seen _you_? You're fucking _hot_ Arisawa Tatsuki. On a scale of one to totally fuckable in every way, you rank totally fuckable 10 times a day in every way. There… happy now?" She reclaimed the delicious looking ear. _'What the hell! I'm nervous? Nothing makes me nervous! Crap, this could ruin my reputation.'_

"Now you're just being a dumbass." Still, Tatsuki couldn't help but feel good about herself after an appraisal of such magnitude from the leading teenage-female connoisseur of perversion. "You know that's not the kind of information I was looking for." She pinched the girl's thigh.

"Tatsuki love, one way or another I'm getting mouth-on-you time tonight! If I don't do it now, you won't be able to stop me later. If you want to waste precious mouth time by talking you must be prepared to enter into a contractual agreement. I need a guarantee that I'm going to get what I want." All Chizuru could do was stall. _'How the hell do I answer her question?'_

The karate champ cocked and eyebrow.

The tone of the red head's voice went rigid and formal, and she held her right hand up in the air. "If so, please raise your hand and repeat after me - I hereby promise to let my most stunningly beautiful, totally fabulous, and especially cherished Pervy-chan eat me sometime before I get dressed."

Tatsuki shook her head and rolled her eyes at the silliness. Still, it was uncanny how easily the red head could always make her feel better. _'She always finds a way to make me laugh. Course, I usually end up screaming her name later. Hell, that's a Win-Win for me!' _"Ok fine." She raised her right hand, "I hereby promise to let uhhhhhhh… my most stunningly beautiful, totally fabulous, and especially cherished Pervy-chan eat me sometime before I get dressed. Happy now?"

Chizuru bounced joyously. She really was looking forward to fulfilling that oath.

Tatsuki mused, _'Orihime is also prone to bouncy fits. It must be another fru-fru girly-girl thing.'_ It seemed good knowledge for a tomboy to file away.

"Hai, very happy! Now, we'll commence with the talking so we can get to the eating. Let me make sure I have this right. For some strange reason you seem to have come to the conclusion that there are other reasons why I stay with you apart from your extreme fuckability factor, is that correct?" Chizuru watched a very relaxed Tatsuki nod.

The red head ceased fondling the girl in front of her. _'I don't really know if this is a good idea, but it's what she says wants. Besides, something's really eating at her. She should know how great she is! Even if she kicks me out, she deserves an honest answer. I won't lie. How can I ever get her to trust me if I lie?'_

Chizuru reached around and laced their hands together while setting her chin on the shoulder of the pensive girl. "Hm, well first Arisawa, you definitely aren't perfect. You can be moody. You're a total closet case. You keep stealing my panties and doing god knows what with them, which by the way is starting to cost a lot of money. Those things aren't cheap you know!" She poked the girl with an accusatory finger. " Anyway, you can't cook. You sure as hell can't clean. You're stubborn as hell. Oh and it's rather disconcerting that when you fart at school you blame it on me, which you really need to stop doing!"

This isn't exactly the way Tatsuki saw this going. "Uh babe? …"

"Oh yeah I forgot to mention, you interrupt people way too much when they talk!" Chizuru could feel Tatsuki's eyes roll. "Can I continue now?"

The moody girl grunted.

Chizuru saw that coming a mile away. Sometimes the moody champ was just too predictable. "But despite all that crap and in addition to how incredible you look and how insanely hot you are in bed, you're the most wonderful girl I know," suddenly her voice squeaked, "and it's so cute that your hair is just as stubborn as you are." It really was true. Chizuru had convinced Tatsuki on many occasions to let her try and fix her wild hair. No matter what she tried or how many pounds of hair product she used, her tomboy's spikey hair couldn't be tamed. Always, within and hour and without fail, her wild hair stuck up in every direction.

The red head placed a chaste kiss on her partner's cheek and tightened her embrace. "You're the most honorable and trustworthy girl I've ever met Arisawa Tatsuki. You're the shoulder everyone cries on. You always put yourself last, and you never expect anything in return." Chizuru felt her heart swell. Tatsuki really was the kind of girl anyone could be proud of! "You have a strong sense of right and wrong. You always try to be fair even though it might take you some time to figure out what's right. You aren't afraid to admit when you're wrong. And even though you interrupt people, even though you're stubborn, cranky, and moody, and even though you blame your farts on me, I wouldn't trade any of it. I like it all because I'm the one who knows more about you than anyone else. I'm the person you hide from the least. It makes me feel special and needed that you let me see what you hide from everyone else. Like when you bottom or even _this_ side of you." Chizuru lightly poked and tickled the girl's sides. "You're so cute when you're all soft and girly vulnerable."

Tatsuki squirmed, she hated to be tickled. She needed to keep Chizuru from doing that again. Her plan was flawless; she placed the sweet girl's hands back on her chest and ordered her to continue massaging.

"Woot!" Chizuru barked happily before she continued. "Yeah, you're a bit secretive but I know you're not doing anything wrong, you're just protecting all the people who turn to you for help. You do whatever is necessary to protect anyone you believe is worthy and in need of protection. How can honor like that _not _be totally sexy? Seriously Suki-chan? And with the exception of your being a closet case, you just are who you are and if other people don't like it you have no problems telling them to fuck off." Chizuru paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

Tatsuki could feel the other girl tremble beneath her; she could tell Chizuru was nervous. It was cute and amusing really. After all of the silly bullshit the red headed girl had pulled over the years, after all of the perverse things she had willingly chosen to involve both of them in, it was _this _talkingthat was making her nervous. She'd never seen her nervous before. Tatsuki thought nothing could make the courageous and shameless Chizuru fluster, but knowing that made what the girl had to say that much more relevant.

She spoke softly into her champ's ear. "The biggest reason though, when we're alone, like this, I swear you're the best thing that's ever happened to me Suki-chan because you just let me be who I am, and there's nothing more important than feeling like its ok to just be who you are with someone else."

Tatsuki's heart swelled in her chest. The girl behind her couldn't see the tears that threatened to seep from her closed eyes. _'I really don't deserve you Chizzy. I don't! You deserve someone who can give you everything they are. You deserve someone who'll sacrifice themselves before they'd even consider denying you. I'm not that girl.' _

It was a recurring internal battle that increased in both intensity and frequency the closer she got to the sweet girly-girl. Though, lately, Tatsuki really couldn't imagine life without Chizuru. She couldn't pin point when it happened but it did, she had fallen for the girl. She loved her but she wasn't sure she could be everything Chizuru deserved, and she cared too much for her bath buddy to give her false hopes.

Despite what Chizuru believed, Tatsuki hid their relationship for her lovers benefit, not her own. The spikey haired girl could care less what other people said or thought about her.

The unlikely pair had actually known one another since pre-school. Tatsuki had always heard everything people would say about Chizuru behind the girl's back. It was horrible, disgusting, and unbelievably cruel. From afar she watched the pretty red headed girl fearlessly weather it all as it rained endlessly down upon her, year after year, in brave solitary. Tatsuki was in awe of how strong the shunned and exiled girl was, how self assured she seemed, and how nice she was to everyone despite how they treated her. She thought it was amazing. Then when they became lovers she found out just how badly marred her sweet and kind hearted hentai of a girl really was by everything she had to endure from their shallow peers, and all just for being true to her own feelings. It was the second time Tatsuki ever felt fully enraged, truly livid! She couldn't remember having such a supreme urge to hurt people for being assholes since that incident with Orihime's hair.

Chizuru didn't know this, but long before they ever started going out Tatsuki would feed off the other girl's valiancy. The ostracized girl was literally Tatsuki's paragon of courage, her eidolon of inner strength. Tatsuki learned how to be brave, be happy with who she was, and follow the beat of her own drum by emulating Chizuru. Whenever something ate at her she would think of Chizuru and try to be just as brave and courageous.

The girl's words rattled in the athlete's head. _ 'You just are who you are and if other people don't like it you have no problems telling them to fuck off.'_ She thought, _'if I am really that way it's because I learned it from watching you.'_

The thought of ever really hurting Chizuru was enough to break Tatsuki's heart, but the thought of hurting her and having everything put on display for the amusement of others would be too much. Tatsuki refused to give people more ammunition to talk trash at Chizuru's expense. If hiding their relationship was what she needed in order to protect her hormonally crazed sweet girl from more hurtful harassment, then that's what Tatsuki would do. Especially since the dark haired girl was certain she would eventually end up hurting her wonderful red head.

Tatsuki didn't want the trash talk and malicious snickering that always came with personal affairs turned public to make things worse. It would be a different story entirely if the karate champ was willing to commit to a relationship, then they could weather anything together. But since that's not how it was, Tatsuki refused to create a situation that might once again place the pretty green-eyed girl alone and at the mercy of petty bullshit and cruel gossip.

The karate champ couldn't give her courageous hentai her whole heart because even though Chizuru was the most wonderful part of it, she wasn't the only girl Tatsuki carried there. And truthfully, she wasn't certain she was the only girl in her Pervy-chan's heart either. Still, Chizuru deserved better, she deserved everything.

Chizuru was getting a little nervous. _'Dammit say something woman! I just told you that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me! Talk-talk-talk!'_ Telepathy was never a talent of hers. _'Well fuck it, if she's going to kick me out I better get a last lick in. Remember how sweet her skin tastes.' _Slowly, sensually, savoring every touch - every feeling of tenderness Chizuru had for the girl in her arms spilled from her soft lips and off her velvety tongue onto the sensitive pulse point of her lover's highly coveted neck. It was easy for the green-eyed beauty to get drunk off the delicious taste of her mistress. A soft low moan escaped her occupied lips in a passing moment of rhapsody. She felt the object of her desire turn to expose more skin for her grazing pleasure.

"Hnnnnn…mmmmm. Oh dear god Chiz how are you so good at that?" It always amazed Tatsuki how every nerve ending on her body would instantly react to Chizuru's touches. Her body just knew when the red head was playing and when she wasn't. Right now, the highly sensuous girl on her neck was very serious, she was all business. _'I have to stop this. The force is strong in that one!'_

She felt her blood race and her heart pound. Tatsuki's body craved this girl, her body was limp. She was powerless to resist and near unwilling to try. "Chizzzzz….y…" Teeth nipped and grazed skillfully, lustfully against her burning neck.

"You're mine Arisawa, you belong to me." The red head spoke in a soft heady tone.

It wasn't a question, it was truth. The girl's warm breath and arrogant claim of possession was intoxicating. "Hai… just for you."

With those four words the red head's pent up tension dispersed - relief. _ 'Oh thank god! She still wants me. She's not kicking me out!' _She held the girl as tight as she could. _'If I let go, will you leave me?'_ Her heart threatened to beat right through her chest.

The poor girl honestly had no idea what Tatsuki actually thought of her. Chizuru couldn't ever tell if Tatsuki's words in the heat of passion were sincere or if her dark haired champion was just lost in the seductive power of the moment. She didn't know if this _fling_ meant anything to her at all beyond the sex and having a warm body to cuddle up against. She really hoped she fit into tomboy's heart somewhere, anywhere; even if it was just a dark little corner. "You're beautiful Tatsuki. I worship you." Chizuru eyes clouded in desire, a pure want to delve deeply inside and violate what she would claim was hers. "You are mine to invade."

"Damnit Chiz!" The captive girl fought her budding titillation. It wouldn't be so bad if her body didn't react so strongly to the gifted assailant. The most arousing sound Tatsuki knew was the delicately commanding voice of her Chizuru consumed with feral lust. _'I swear if she keeps talking this will be over before she even touches me._'

Chizuru purred against her captive's ear. She begrudgingly freed one breast and provocatively raked her claws along her prisoner's silken inner thigh, aggressively massaging its full length. "Tatsuki I -love these." The girl stared hungrily at her lover's thighs. Those thighs, those deliciously strong appendages that had so often clamped forcefully down on Chizuru's head when the wonderful girl to whom they belonged rode countless blissful waves of orgasm.

Tatsuki grit her teeth, this was just mean! Chizuru on a lust induced power trip, _'god I want her! But not like this.' _"Damn it Chizzy please." _'I can't believe I'm saying this.'_ "Stop! Frog!" She whined. What Tatsuki really wanted to say was "please… please fuck me!" The dark haired girl was desperate for her partners blazing touch, and she'd have it - just later.

A caring and obedient partner, Chizuru stopped everything when she heard their safe word. It was a silly word really, but that was the point. _Frog, _it was one simple easy to utter single syllable word that clearly stood out regardless of how ensnared in the throws of passion either participant was. _Frog _and intimacy just didn't mesh.

Tatsuki knew her wonderful girl would immediately assume that she'd done something wrong. In an effort to calm the girl she reached out with both her hands to guide and place the palms of her hentai's own hands against her lips. "It's not you, I promise. Your only problem is that you're too unimaginable wonderful. It's me, I swear on the desecration of my entire collection of first place trophies, you weren't the reason I made you stop."

Chizuru needed more reassurance than that. "Kiss me?"

It was a question and a command. The champion answered them both. Tatsuki guided the other girls head and pulled their lips together.

Chizuru welcomed the sweet invasion in her mouth. There was nothing more precious to her than her ill tempered and grand-hearted warrior. She'd spent countless hours over the span of two years kissing the girl in her lap; she could read the nuances of her champion's tongue better than she could the faintest creases in her face. The red head considered herself a savant on both subject matters. She would be able to tell if Tatsuki was lying to her, though she couldn't actually ever recall a time that Tatsuki had lied to her.

She couldn't deny it, Tatsuki that is. When she kissed her soft and curvy girly-girl nothing else mattered, but would it be the same if she kissed her princess – the other girl that held her heart? She didn't know. She'd never kissed Orihime before, and with her brother driving solidly and in complete command of The Heart's helm Tatsuki wondered if she'd ever know who her heart truly belonged to. _'Will I ever be set free?'_

Even if she had to live a hellish lifetime wallowing in the angst of unrequited love, the boyish warrior would gladly devote everything she was to the one woman bold enough, sweet enough, wonderful enough, and strong enough to trap her. Her tongue danced in tandem rapture with her special hentai. Tatsuki begged the powers that be to help her find a way to know, to choose, to be happy _'please, please great gods of Orihime's universe, I need to know!'_

When their lips parted Chizuru was convinced that she wasn't the reason her Suki-chan had called _frog. _Something else was bothering her. Languidly she let her fingers wander over the bare skin of her lover's upper body. When her hand grazed her partner's left wrist the streamline motion of the feather light caresses was rudely interrupted. "What is this?" She asked as her fingers investigated the alien object around her companion's wrist. _'She never wears jewelry.'_

It felt wrong to hold back. Tatsuki's whole world had just been turned inside out, for the first time she desperately needed someone to be there just for her. Besides, it was her family's history so it was her secret to tell. She decided she didn't need to hide it, not from Chizuru. "It's a family heirloom. I got it earlier tonight."

Minutes passed in silence. Chizuru watched her normally grounded companion; the troubled girl was lost in her own thoughts. She held her wild haired treasure tighter and rocked slightly back and forth. She watched quietly as the girl in her lap absently fidgeted with her new bracelet. _'She's so withdrawn. I've never seen her like this before.'_ It scared the red head. She thought that maybe someone had hurt her. Tatsuki was supposed to be the strong one. "Tatsuki-love, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

She could hear the concern in Chiz's voice. Hell, even if she weren't a Quincy she could probably feel the fearful energy pouring out of her. Tatsuki turned to meet gentle eyes, "You can't tell Chiz, not anyone. If I tell you I mean. It's my story to tell which means you can't repeat it." Relying on someone else was a hard thing for Tatsuki; she'd never done it before. Tatsuki had always been self contained, and it wasn't until she started to fall for Chizuru that she realized how lonely that kind of emotional independence really was.

A wonderful pair of arms and legs embraced the boyish girl. All four limbs wanted to comfort the girl they coveted vehemently. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." She nipped at the worried girl's lower lip. "But I want to know everything about you Tatsuki-love. I'll always do what's best for you. So if you tell me someone hurt you I might not be able to keep that to myself."

The soft girl smiled adoringly at the worried face that studied her. "Besides, I'll tell you a secret." Chizuru paused; she couldn't resist Tatsuki's lips when they were that close to her own. She covered the short distance and kissed her so hard it took her breath away and all her tension right along with it.

'_Damn, how does she always do that?' _A relaxed and contented moan escaped Tatsuki's mouth. _'I swear she was built just to kiss me!' _"Uh… y..y..you were gonnn... GRR! Damnit, Chiz do you have to kiss me so hard I stutter?"

The red head beamed proudly. "Uh, hell yeah!" She waggled her eyebrows playfully.

The champ took a deep breath to shake the remaining aftershocks of the unsuspecting and potent kiss, "you were gonna tell me a secret?"

"Oh yeah." Chizuru thought for a moment. "I've always admired your integrity, how honorable and trustworthy you are. It's a rare thing these days. Until I started spending so much time with you I thought it was impossible to ever really trust someone. People flock to you and immediately feel they can trust you with anything. And you never falter. It's really kind of amazing to watch from the outside looking in."

Chizuru pressed her forehead against the other girl's and rubbed noses. "You, Arisawa Tatsuki are my paragon of integrity, and everyday I try and make my self a better person through your example. That's it, that's my secret. I want to be like you. I want you to trust me the way I trust you, but that's your choice to make. So I'll take from you what I can get, and maybe someday you'll let me do for you what you do for everyone else."

That was all that was left to hear. _'I hope I'm doing the right thing. I think I am. I mean it's Chizzy. She's just a crazy hentai. She's never given me a reason to not trust her, and I've never heard her talk about people behind their backs. She knows how wrong it is to talk about other people. She'd never do to someone else the same crappy things people have done to her.'_

Chizuru sat patiently, she'd go along with whatever Tatsuki decided, but more than anything she wanted to know what was bothering the other girl. She wanted to be there for her and help her with everything, always, but if the champ just wanted a warm body, a bed mate, and an occasional sounding board, Chizuru was ready to take that post up too. She'd be whatever Tatsuki would let her be, although she hoped that someday her spikey haired hell cat would love her as much as the loved her best friend.

Chizuru had convinced herself long ago that Orihime was first in Tatsuki's heart. If she had to be sloppy seconds she would. Tatsuki would never have Orihime, Chizuru knew that. The red head also knew that all she wanted was to be with Tatsuki. The rest of it wasn't really up to her.

Hesitant hazel-eyes locked onto undemanding green ones. "Don't laugh ok. It's all really weird, totally true, but really weird." _ 'If I tell her this stuff we definitely won't be just fuck buddies anymore. Everything will change.'_

"My brother gave this to me. It's a special bracelet." Tatsuki flicked with intense fascination at the Quincy cross that dangled from her wrist. "I can see and feel you Chizzy. I see you in a way you could never possibly imagine."

As soon as she began to talk, everything about the past couple of weeks that Tatsuki had tucked away in the back of her mind in an effort to keep her own sanity, everything that seemed completely surreal up to this point now suddenly felt like a ton of very real bricks. Tatsuki had a brother, she had two brothers, and she had a father and a grandfather. She felt her eyes flood, she refused to blink. If she didn't blink there wouldn't be any tears, right?

'_Brother?'_ "I thought you were an only child Tatsuki-love." She reached out to explore as much of the little trinket as she could in the dark. "This looks like…" She was cut off.

"… the same thing Ishida Uryuu wears. Is that what you were going to say?" Tatsuki felt the head that rested on her shoulder nod. "He's my brother Chizzy. We both just found out." Tatsuki dangled the Quincy cross in the air, mesmerized, "my twin brother." She heard the red head gasp against her ear.

Tatsuki kicked the stopper that kept the water in the tub and settled back into a wonderful and caring embrace. She was comfortable in the emptying tub, nestled safely in her eidolon's arms, she didn't want to move. It felt good to finally lean on someone. It felt right for that person to be Chizuru. With each freed word the fear of letting someone in lessened.

Chizuru listened attentively to Tatsuki's unique and almost unbelievable story. She heard about the lies her mother told her as a child and then the truths behind those lies. Her Suki-chan had a whole family, and they'd all been living in the same town, right under her nose, her whole life. The red head adjusted easily to her lover's new vocabulary once the basics behind the odd new words like Quincy, Raien, The Heart, High Priestess, pure energy, Shinigami, Hollow, Vizard and reiatsu were explained. Everything was explained to the best of Tatsuki's limited knowledge. The fledgling Quincy only left out the things that were not hers to tell.

With the exception of her older deceased brother, the one she shared with Orihime, the identities of anyone blood related to Tatsuki were freely surrendered. Chizzy learned that Arisawa Shiori was the Raien High Priestess and that Ishida Uryuu and Ishida Ryuuken were Quincy. Though neither girl had a clear understanding of what that really meant. The red head understood the concepts of Shinigami, Hollow, and Vizard but not once did her lover give up any names. It was all amazing, too amazing. The awe struck girl understood the concept and religious pretext of the The Heart and why The Heart was important to the Raien, but never, not once did Orihime's name come up.

Tatsuki was finally liberated from her own self-induced solitary. She finally understood why everyone always wanted to unload on her. It was purely cathartic. Tatsuki met her ablution wrapped in the arms of a silly, laid back, fun loving, easy going and beautiful hentai girl. She was the bravest person Tatsuki knew. All of her silly and sometimes odd playfulness aside, Chizuru had led a difficult life. As a result Chizzy was more emotionally mature and self aware than most. She didn't hide herself or deceive others; she was simply at peace with who she was, more so than anyone Tatsuki had ever met.

Tatsuki thought is was a sad thing that people could be so small minded and utterly short sighted. Only morons are ignorant enough to claim they know the true value and message of a book after only reading the jacket cover. For their ignorance they paid the price, it was their loss. Chizuru was a diamond stuck in a pile of coal.

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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Yeah I laid it on thick. Based on the reviews and emails I got from those reading this story here and on another FacFic site (where this story is also posted) I couldn't help myself. Heh heh

Story updates won't always be as fast as they have been. My life's getting busy again.

_**Thanks to those who continue reading. **__**Please review**__**. I hope you enjoyed. And YAY to Bastion, again, who writes the BEST feedback emails. I thank you sir and hope to become a better writer as a result of your selfless time and effort.**_

_**The reviews really do help me. I wonder what people like and do not like about the story. **_


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

I am sorry for such a long wait. I've been busy with work and traveling. I hope to have more down time this week. Hopefully can compensate and get the next chapter out quicker. Though I made this chapter long to repent for my sins of delayed chapter posting.

Given that Orihime and thus Uryuu are stranded in their apartment until some sort of climatic point is reached; there isn't much I can do about action right now.

Also, please be mindful of the way this story unravels. Currently it is a short timeline with a lot of detail. By that I mean this will be chapter 11 which is just going onto Sunday morning, but when Orihime woke up and Uryuu's reiatsu flared it was only a few nights ago, Thursday night (chapter 2).

Thank you for supporting my Tatsuki X Chizuru pairing. I honestly didn't think it was a surprising pair. Either way it turns out I really enjoy them, and if I ever write another story it might be a sequel to this one, starring them. We'll see.

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**Chapter Edit History**

3/06/2008 Mild grammar and spelling changes.

I'm working on getting some betas.

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**Chapter Summary**

This chapter is mostly IshiHime fluffyness. Orihime lays awake all night thinking about everything that has been going on. With a little help from Uryuu she reaches a few conclusions about her true self. There is also little prep for the next chapter. Oh and Uryuu posses an unexpected question.

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**CHAPTER****11**

"Hai, don't you worry about a thing Shiori-san. I've got just the small army you need." Urahara hung up the phone and let out an unrefined yawn as he stumbled to the bathroom to start his day.

'_How interesting, she's moving in with him.'_ He splashed some cold water on his deceitfully young face and sighed at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Everyone has someone but you Kisuke. How sad, don't you think?" He laughed sarcastically at the handsome devil starring back at him. _'That poor boy, tied down to one girl, and at such a young age. Tsk-tsk Uryuu.'_

"Those real women can be more trouble than their worth! Oh well, I've got everything I need right here." He turned a lecherous grin at the two worn out and sleeping womanly bodies in his bed that were pilled on top of a snoring Tessai. The women looked remarkably like Nanao and Rangiku. "Yup, give me a couple of gokongan soul candies and a few choice gigai, what more can an old man ask for!"

"It's time to wake up Tessai." Urahara threw a toothbrush at the man's head with expert precision from clear across the room. "You, Jinta, Ururu, Renji, and the Bount mods will be moving Inoue Orihime's things from her apartment to Ishida Uryuu's today. It seems the happy new couple just couldn't wait to start playing house." He yawned wildly and scratched his bare ass, "Tatsuki will meet you at Orihime's. She has a key and already knows her way around the girl's things."

Tessai, an over grown romantic who adored Orihime and her cooking, jumped excitedly out of bed. You could practically see the large pink hearts cloud over his eyes as he wiggled around and danced on the spot. "Ohhh how cute, and so romantic! I know! I have the perfect housewarming present too." He beamed proudly, "The Cotton Candy Maker! I saw it on TV."

The overly large man felt the need to exuberantly reenact the infomercial. "Feel like a kid again. Make your own fresh carnival style cotton candy right from your very own home!"

"Tessai…" The blonde Shinigami interrupted the large man's cotton candy ramblings.

"Uh, yes boss?"

"Now-now big guy, you really are weird! You're large and weird! Must you buy everything you see on T.V.?" For once Urahara was relieved that his assistant was pushing some of his useless infomercial junk onto someone else other than him. "Now put away the gigai and get cleaned up."

Dutifully Tessai threw on his clothes and apron. He popped the gokongan soul candies out of the Nanao and Rangiku gigai before carefully storing the perfect physical specimens of feminine beauty in the bedroom closet right next to his bosses other two favorite toy gigai, the 11th division's childlike pink haired lieutenant Yachiru and the boy prodigy, captain of the 10th division, Hitsugaya Tooshiroo.

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Renji lay still with his eyes closed. He hoped if he played possum long enough the loud mouthed midget slacker would go away and leave him alone. His resolve wore thinner with each unpleasant tap. _ 'Some guys get to wake up to breakfast in bed; I get to wake up to this crap!' _

The tattooed lieutenant woke up to the annoying and disturbingly familiar feeling of a bat being tapped against his head. "Oi you annoying little brat, get the fuck away from me I'm trying to sleep!" He waived one hand wildly in the air trying to yank Jinta's bat away.

"Awe, Freeloader's cranky this morning!" Jinta cracked his bat hard over Renji's head. Amusedly he watched the buff Shiniami grunt and cower in the aftermath. "Now get the hell up Freeloader, it's time to earn your keep. Boss says we gotta move all of Orihime's stuff from her place over to the geek's."

"What?" the young Shinigami shouted as he jumped out of bed. "When did they get together? She was out cold just a few days ago." He mused out loud to himself ignoring the menacing boy.

'_Go Ishid! That Quincy moves fast!'_ "Pfft!" A sly smile crossed his face as he idly scratched the back of his head_. 'Guess the geek finally got the girl!_' "Whoo hoo!" Renji cheered out loud! "Maybe Orihime will help get that super serious stick out of his tight ass."

SMACK, right in the stomach. Renji bowled over more from the surprise of the impact that the pain. "Why you little brat! What the hell was that for? I got out of bed. STOP hitting me with that stupid bat."

"How much you making Freeloader? You know you could just pay to earn your keep around here now that you're a respectable business man." Jinta never tired of baiting the crass Shinigami. He was the closest thing to a big brother he'd ever had.

Renji tried to keep one eye on the violent midget at all times, even now as he tied his hair back and gathered his clothes. He never knew when Jinta would feel the need for more batting practice. "What the hell are you talking about you little ankle biter? I ain't got no damn money and you know that!"

The hue of Jinta's face matched the color of his hair. The Shinigami knew just which buttons to push. "Don't call me an ankle biter you whorish teletubbie rubbing maggot."

Renji cocked an eyebrow. _ 'He's a creative little spawn of Satan, I'll give him that.'_

Jinta threw three screenshots of from an online adult auction site at Renji's feet. "I saw how much people are bidding on your pathetic ass."

Jinta watched in sheer devilish amusement as the Freeloader's face turned ghost white.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!" Renji shouted at the top of his lungs as he stared speechless at three pictures of himself, or rather his gigai in less than respectable posses on top of several well known worldly monuments. Some crook had turned his gigai into the x-rated version of the famed world traveling garden gnome. And who ever it was, they were cashing in big!

'_Who the fuck kidnapped my gigai!'_ The sexy Shinigami looked at the smutty photos of himself. _'Wow!'_ His jaw hung open. _'These things are selling for a lot! Whoever's behind his is cashing in big time.' _He beamed proudly to himself. His ego had been more that sufficiently stroked. Still, the shocked red head scoured the screenshot looking for some clue, any clue, that would lead him to the one responsible.

His hunt was over. There it was, the name of Zabimaru's next kill. His eyes found the sellers account name, Utsukushiimaru. "YUMICHIKA!" A vein throbbed in Renji's head, "When I find that feather-headed narcissistic fairy boy I'm going to kill him!" Only another Shinigami on assignment in Karakura Town could have done this to Renji, and only one narcissistic Shinigami would give himself a username that meant Beautiful Perfection.

'_Oh crap, what else did that freak do with my gigai?'_ The red head felt queasy just thinking about it. He searched through his memories and was extremely relieved that he couldn't ever recall a time when his ass hurt after putting on his gigai.

Renji's eye twitched in deranged annoyance while he watched Jinta roll around on the floor laughing his impish ass off. Through clenched teeth he hissed, "you, seed of chucky, you have ten seconds to get away from me before crush you like the cockroach you are."

'_Oh shit, he's pissed! This is so great!'_ Jinta ran from the room shouting back, "be at Orihime's in an hour Freeloader or I'll show those pictures to everyone." His voice was laced thick with amusement as he hauled ass to safety.

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The hours of the night passed slowly. Orihime watched her precious boy sleep as her restless mind tried to rationalize the strange things that had happened to her recently. No tiny detail was too small to mull over in her attempt to desperately to make sense of her crux.

She idly twisted his draping bangs around her finger. She loved to watch him sleep. He was the most beautiful thing. She, the vessel, loved the boy with everything she was. She didn't know why, but she knew it had something to do with what she really was. She couldn't describe it, but she could feel it - undeniably. It was more than just the girl in her that chose him; more than just the girl in her that needed him.

The confusing duality of her faux mortal and supreme deific existences didn't matter all that much to her where he was concerned. She didn't care rather it was the finite vessel or the infinite Heart that craved him first, and it really didn't matter now. Even with her limited self awareness she knew that all of whom she was belonged to him. He was her everything. Blindly, she'd do anything for him, anything he asked of her.

The silence of the dark night was deafening. Orihime anchored her sanity on the warmth of her Quincy boy's body as Shiori's revelations invaded her mind. She wanted to scream or maybe cry. Perhaps both, it was all too much. All she wanted was to live a normal life with him, the lightly snoring boy, who even in his sleep managed to help tame her fears and keep her sane.

She wanted to go to back to school. She wanted to be outside. She wanted to see the next Saw movie. She wanted eat her way across Japan during summer break. She wanted to have a big beach party. She wanted to be an Iron Chef. Most of all, she wanted to marry her Ury-kun and spend every non-eating waking moment discovering new and wonderful ways to make an army of little violet-eyed Quincy babies. Really, she just wanted to be normal. To act and to feel as a normal girl would.

'_I know everything Shiori-san said was true. I can feel it. So why did I do this to myself?_' Silent tears fell. _'I don't want to die.' _It was daunting to try and comprehend that she was the reason all life existed, and that she could be the reason that all traces of life could disappear.

Her consciousness was too segregated to make any other-worldly connections by itself, but everything the Raien priestess said was intimately familiar to her. She felt like her life was a bad song that she swore she never heard but somehow she knew all of the words when it played on the radio. _'I did this to myself on purpose!' _Anger and a sense of foreboding helplessness replaced her fear and confusion. Her blood began to race.

Orihime rolled onto her back, she closed her eyes and she clenched her fists. She was pissed off and frustrated with herself. She knew she could fix everything if she could just remember.

The nagging stillness in the air forced her to dwell on the unpleasant circumstances of her life.

"WHYYY?"

Her voice was loud and shrill as it pierced the haunting silence that was suffocating her. She needed to make certain that all of who she was heard her pleading question. She hollered at the top of her lungs trying to break through and reach her greater self. She screamed until she felt two strong arms pull her against the warm body she loved so dearly.

"Orihime?" soothingly Uryuu rocked back and forth as he cradled her against his chest. Wiping away her tears, "what's wrong?"

His voice was wrought with concern, and his body trembled slightly beneath her. She buried her face in his shoulder. She wanted to crawl inside of him. Just be with him and hide from everything else. "I'm sorry Ury-kun. I didn't mean to scare you."

He gently massaged the back of her neck. He could feel her tension. Even the energy around her was knotted in angry tendrils.

"I can't fix this. I can't help. I can never help!" Orihime cried against him. "I'm useless Ury-kun. Always useless!" Her small fist hammered into his chest, frustrated with her own forsaken defeat.

"She's right you know. Shiori-san is right about everything." Her tear strained eyes locked onto his soft violet ones, "I'm not meant to know who I really am. She said… Shiori-san said, that she thought the vessel's lack of knowledge was intentional. How can I help if I'm not supposed to remember how to fix it?" She said between sniffles and sobs. "Why would I do something like that to myself Ury-kun?"

He reached out and tenderly cleaned her face with his thumb and the backs of his fingers. He smoothed her hair and held her tight. Uryuu wanted to take all of her pain away. He'd gladly bare the sole brute force of all of her burdens if it meant her happiness. "Orihime…"

"Wait." She interrupted him. She knew what he was going to do. He was going to do something wonderful and make her feel better. She didn't want to feel better. She needed to finish thinking this through. "Ury-kun, I've been thinking about this all night."

His alert and attentive presence gave her the strength and focus she'd been lacking. She needed someone to bounce her thoughts off of. "What do people who have everything that they need always seem to want?" She looked to him for an answer.

His eyes squinted in thought. "I guess if they already have everything they need, then they only want what they don't already have."

It was the same conclusion she'd reached earlier. "And how does anyone get what they don't have?"

He didn't understand where she was going with any of this, but he played the part she gave him. "I guess that depends on what it is they don't have, but regardless no one will ever get what they don't have if they don't at least try and go after it."

She felt on the brink of unraveling a mystery. "So why would something as powerful and omnipotent as The Heart choose to become something as limited as I am? Why have a mortal shell, why conceal my power, and why would I block off my own memories?"

She watched his eyes light up as he slowly caught up with her train of thought.

"Are you saying that you, The Heart, chose to be this way in an attempt to go after something you didn't already have, something you were missing?" He watched her nod. He had to admit that as simplistic as her logic was, it was sound, and reasonable.

"So what does The Heart not already have? What does it want that it can get by taking the form a beautiful girl?" Opps. It just slipped out. He smiled sheepishly.

She couldn't help but smile adoringly back at him. "I love you my Quincy boy." She stretched up and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. _'I swear if I ever need to just be in a bad mood I need to stay far-far away from him!'_

She pouted sourly and poked him with a commanding finger, "now stop making me feel better and help me figure this out. I'm almost there I can feel it."

He bit his lip fighting back the desire to lean over and kiss the top of her head. He didn't want to get poked again for being a… uh, good boyfriend. Instead he did as she commanded. "Hm, so if you're older than time, the sole architect of the cosmos, and the source of all its energy and power what could you possibly want? Isn't that everything?"

Orihime sighed wistfully and placed her head back on his chest, "when you put it that way it sounds so lonely and boring."

She never really considered herself a lonely person. But now she supposed she felt that way only because she didn't know any better. That was until this past weekend when she found him. Now that she had her Quincy boy she couldn't imagine ever being alone again.

There was one thing Orihime had always known for certain, she absolutely _hated_ to be bored. Ever since she was a child she would try to find ways to combat boredom. Sometimes she'd have elaborate day dreams like he ones she often had in school and sometimes she'd try her best to forget everything she knew so that she could experience everything all over again as if it were the first time. Even now, when no one was around to see her, she'd literally go blue in the face trying to will herself to forget everything she knew about her favorite foods and her favorite movies so that she could fall in love with them all over again. Tatsuki once told her that she should stop trying. That she was going to give herself an aneurysm Tatsuki also said that aside from getting hit on the head or getting lobotomized, it wasn't going to happen. She told her that you just can't will something like that to happen, but Orihime never believed it.

Then, without warning it happened, another classic and severely bipolar occurrence of the infamous Hime-revelation!

Uryuu watched his girlfriend spring up into the air. When she came back down one foot landed solidly on the bed while the other lodged itself securely in his chest. She had effectively knocked the wind right out of him as she unknowingly pinned him to the bed. _'Damn it I forgot how ridiculously strong she was!'_ He gasped for air. _'I can deal with the Heart of the Universe stuff, but her Hime-strength is just unnatural!'_

He presumed it was safe to say that she was no longer distraught when he watched her raise her fists triumphantly into the air and shout, "Victory is mine!"

The trapped Quincy was about to laugh, she was just too adorable! _'How can anyone not fall in love with you Orihime?'_ Well, he was about to laugh. That was until the oblivious girl above him began jumping up and down on their tiny twin bed causing her foot to, on more than one bounce, threaten the life of the Little Quincy they both so ardently treasured.

Uryuu smiled up at his silly girl and reached to grab her wrists. '_She's just like a kid sometimes.'_ He pulled her down to straddle his waist. "Do you plan on letting me in on this little secret of yours?" He rolled over and pinned her to the bed. _'She's so beautiful!'_ Everything just seemed so right when his Hime-chan smiled that big.

Her mind was racing a mile a minute. It didn't help that he was on top of her. "We're the same Ury-kun. At least I think we are. It makes sense anyway, especially since we _really are _the same." Orihime reeled herself back in. She felt a fit of Hime-speak coming on. She took a deep breath to try and let go of the excited frenzy she'd worked herself into. Calmly and with a great big self satisfied smile, Orihime spoke. "I mean I know why I can't remember anything." She could see his interest had piqued.

"I knew too much. I got bored!" She said it as if those words alone explained everything as she watched him hover over

'_Err he's gorgeous. Must not touch, must not touch, must not touch.'_ She briefly considered burning all of his shirts so he'd be forced to walk around bare chested all the time. She might have considered burning all of his clothes so he'd walk around naked but his butt was just too cute to share and the Little Quincy was her special toy! _No one_ else was allowed near him.

Orihime even made Uryuu swear to consult with her before he touched himself. She wanted 24/7 dibs on taking care of both her Quincies. Originally it was an all or nothing request but he insisted that he be allowed to touch himself to bathe and go to the bathroom. Eventually Orihime conceded to those demands, but only after Uryuu agreed to pay the bargaining toll. Orihime demanded to learn how boys went to the bathroom standing up.

"But Ury-kun," she pouted, "what happens if you go off to fight and you loose both of your arms? I'd have to do _everything_ for you." She stomped her foot lightly. "So there, you have to teach me!"

They both ignored the fact that even in her current state Orihime was powerful enough to make sure that he never actually went armless. As for the actual lesson which involved them both standing in front of the toilet with Orihime's cushy chest pressed against his back while she wrapped her arms to around his waist to get to the Little Quincy, well it was without a doubt the most difficult and completely bazaar hour and a half of Uryuu's life. The lesson failed miserably. The Little Quincy steadfastly refused to cooperate, the Big Quincy was in a permanent state of embarrassed arousal, and Orihime kept insisting the little guy would relax and behave if she just pet him.

Starring up at her undercover god caused Orihime to momentarily forget what they were talking about. She shook her head to try and clear her mind. _'Ok, so never be near him when I want to be in a bad mood, and never-ever be under him and expect to think straight. Got it.' _She tucked that bit of knowledge away for later.

"I don't understand Orihime. What do you mean you knew too much, you got bored?" _'Damn it! Flipping her into this position was a bad idea!' _He stared at his beautiful girl and did his best to try to continue the role of supportive boy friend despite the fact that the longer he looked down on her the more the blood flow to his brain lessened.

She clamped her eyes tightly shut so she couldn't see him_. 'Grrrr!'_ Images of her undercover god had apparently been burned into the backs of her eyelids. '_Arghhh!_ _I can't escape sexy Ury-kun! He's everywhere!'_

She kept her eyes shut and took another deep breath. _'Ok, I can't touch him till he gets it.' _Orihime thought that a conditional and self imposed embargo against her boy might motivate her to stay focused. '_So, how do I explain this…' _She really wanted to touch him!_ "…and explain it fast? Damn good thing he's a smart sexy god.'_ Then she remembered that Don Kanonji's Bura-Rei was his favorite T.V. show. _'That should work. He's obsessed with that show.'_

After summoning all of her anti-Uryuu-pouncing powers she opened her grey eyes and latched on to his violent ones. "Well do you think you'd love watching Bura-Rei so much if you were the one and only person who wrote, produced, and directed it?"

Uryuu focused intently on the patch of bed right above Orihime's shoulder. If he didn't look at her, maybe he could hold out a little longer. "Probably not, I imagine being that closely tied to the show would most likely take all of the fun out of it. Plus nothing about the show would be a surprise if I already knew it inside and out." But still, what does that have to do with you being smart and bored?

'_Why is he looking at the bed?_' "Hello, Ury-kun." She waived her hand in front of his face. "What do you mean what does that have to do with me being bored? It's an analogy. You know, The Heart is to the universe as the multitalented Bura-Rei guy is to the Bura-Rei show. Both know too much, they're too closely tied to their own works of art to be able to enjoy them the way everyone else does.

He still had a glassy look in his eyes. "What's wrong with you silly boy?" _'I wonder if that's what I look like when I space out.'_ She reached up and lightly scratched up and down the length of the backs of his nicely defined upper arms until she could see that she had his attention again and continued to spell out what she now considered obvious.

"The Heart… err, me, I think that I got bored. I think maybe I made this whole fantastic universe but I knew so much about everything that all the wonder and enjoyment had been sucked out of it. I couldn't enjoy any of it. So I'm thinking maybe this is like my vacation or something. Its weird Ury-kun," he looked right into her eyes, he could tell she was quite serious. "I can tell I'm whole, I feel like I'm just intentionally hiding from myself from um… myself. I guess it all sounds silly, but it really is something I would actually do, even now if I could." Oddly, it really did sound like something his Orihime would do.

The contemplative girl could tell her sweet boy was still listening. Despite how spacey he still seemed. So she pinched his nipple. Hell it was just sitting there starring right at her anyway.

She watched his half glazed face. She could clearly see when his brain caught up with her simple self-realization. A shiver ran up her spine. _'He's just too cute!'_ She couldn't help herself. Orihime wiggled around beneath him to tease the poor boy. "You know for geek you're pretty slow." She smiled innocently at him.

Uryuu heard everything Orihime had said, and he understood it perfectly. He just couldn't articulate well. At the moment they had no way to prove her theory but it did seem a rather likely one, and he was quite impressed with her deductions. This new information certainly would not fix any of the problems they faced, but it still helped to try and understand everything that was going on.

He loved Orihime and he knew she loved him, but he couldn't help but wonder where he fit into the whole Heart of the Universe scenario. He even wondered at times how genuine his wonderful girl really was. Was everything about her planned and fabricated, or did he fall in love with the real thing? Uryuu was relieved when Orihime emphatically claimed that they, The Heart, the vessel, and the girl were all one-in-the-same. He surmised from her explanation that the girl and the deity were most likely just varying degrees of awareness of the same individual. If that was in-fact true it would certainly make trying to figure out the mysteries that surrounded this whole situation a lot easier. It might even help to explain why Orihime seemed vastly more connected to her true powers when she zone out. After all, she did resurrect the dead with less effort than it took to wiggle a finger.

"What! No… no I mean yes. Sure I am cute, if you say so." Like a dork he winked and nodded coolly before flashing what Orihime would consider a dead sexy grin. "But no I am _not_ slow! If I'm stupid right now it's your fault." His voice was playfully scolding and accusatory. "You know, it's kind of hard to put two and two together when... Well, we will just have to see how sharp you are sometime when the flow of blood to your brain has been cut off." He shifted to a more comfortable position on top of her.

As soon as he shifted his body weight Orihime could feel the full length of her very happy Little Quincy press firmly into the top of her lower thigh. She giggled and seductively teased the already suffering and poor boy. "Awe… Ury-kun wants me." Orihime scrunched her nose and poked her tongue out at her boy.

"You enjoy my suffering do you? You think it's cute, huh?" He watched as she nodded affirmatively while batting her eye lashes and donning her cutest most innocent look. Uryuu surprised her by growling loudly in teasing frustration before his head took a surprising nose dive underneath her t-shirt and started aggressively nibbling at her milky skin.

She clasped onto the bed and giggled wildly. "That tickles!"

He ignored her squirms and her pleas. They just made him want her more. She just tasted so good. She smelled so good. He covered every inch of her stomach with soft kisses and teasing nips before he freed his arms from the burden of hovering over the feminine body beneath him. He blindly reached up and laced his fingers with hers. A small rush coursed through him when the full weight of his chest settled between her legs which elicited a soft moan from the girl he feasted on. He welcomed the restrictive confines of her shirt which kept him buried in her soft skin.

Using his feet against the bed as leverage he thrust himself further up. His mouth settled on the valley between her breasts. Uryuu was drunk with Orihime. Such a thing wasn't hard. She was his goddess. He worshipped her and the small patch of her flesh between her magnificent breats with his tongue. That was his valley, and off to his East and to his West those were his divine mountains.

He pulled the tasty skin of her valley into his mouth and massaged it aggressively with his unrelenting teeth. He soothed it with his velvety tongue. He taunted the sensual girl beneath him, the girl sweet enough to eat as he buried his face in and suckled on every last inch of her breasts, every inch but the one that mattered most.

"Uryuu…" _'he feels so good.'_ Orihime had long since closed her eyes. She was beneath him and he held her hands, she was at his mercy. It was easy to surrender to him. Her body craved him, anything to have him. His mouth was warm and wet. With every lick, nip, and bite she felt him silently confess 'I love you Orihime. Only you.'

She arched her back to force herself deeper into him when she felt his warm tongue bathe her areola and his soft wet lips claim her nipple. She pressed against his hands, she wanted to run her palms over his body but he held her steady. She couldn't move unless it was his desire.

He suckled her like a hungry baby. She let out a loud wanton moan. She wanted to feed the hungry mouth that demanded she be a woman. _'Someday…' _

She smiled contently when she felt him instinctively seek his own release by sliding his hips up and down to massage the Little Quincy against her leg. He was using her. She liked being used by him. She dug the foot of the prostitute leg into the bed to make it more stable for him. Instantly she felt him rub harder against her; anything for his pleasure.

He was beyond rational thought; the only thing he knew was _girl_ - specifically, his girl, the girl, the only one he would ever love - his precious Orihime. Whatever she commanded he would obey. Whatever she needed he would comply. He was hers.

He felt her right hand squeeze his left. "Let go." He heard her pleadingly rasp. "I want to touch you too." Uryuu was an obedient boy, his mistress commanded and he answered. He freed her right hand, and immediately he felt her whole body bend over to her right. She pressed her hand against his shoulder and let it slide suggestively over the contours of the side of his body. It stopped when it reached the elastic band of his boxers. He felt her eager little fingers wiggle their way into his shorts. She was trying to reach her lovable Little Quincy.

Uryuu was a Quincy and a gentleman first. Always an overachieving and perpetually prepared teenage boy who avidly studied up on ways to please a woman… with the help of the World Wide Web. Though he seriously feared he'd never have the chance to employ his second hand knowledge. He most certainly never thought, even in his wildest dreams, that Inoue Orihime would be his, that her delectable body would squirm around beneath his own, or that she'd ever beg him and be so desperately starving for anything he had to deliver.

'_Ladies first Hime-chan, always!'_ He wasn't sure where he found the courage or the mental faculties, especially since he wanted nothing more than to be touched by the girl he loved, but even with a mouthful of Hime-nipple he found the resolve to slap her eager hand away from her most prized possession.

He slipped his head out from under the tight confines of the t-shirt she wore, his t-shirt, and trapped both of her hands at the wrist and held them above her head. He didn't want to hold her down; he wanted his hands to be free to explore his princess. "Stay!" It was his only command. He was pleased when she obediently complied and held her own wrists above her head.

One hand traced idle patterns on her silky smooth and taut stomach while the other brushed her bangs away from her beautiful face. "I love you Orihime." He leaned in to kiss her. He wanted everything he felt for her to pour from his lips and saturate her soul.

As the kiss lingered on his own eager fingers wandered south from her stomach and wiggled past the waist band of her commandeered Quincy boxers. He thought she was sexy in his underwear and that she could only be sexier if she wore her own little boy transformer under-roos. It was undeniable; he loved this girl completely, just the way she came.

His fingers scratched at and mingled with the silky fine hairs of her soft furry patch. He liked the way she felt against his calloused archers fingers, so much so that he forced a deep pleasure filled moan into her mouth. With eyes closed she returned his moan with one of her own, it filled his mouth and sent tremors through his passion inebriated body.

He felt her body tense and arch yearningly against his when he slipped his middle finger between her warm wet folds and briskly ran it tauntingly up and down the full length of the canyon, occasionally indulging in a torturous and fleeting poke into the core of her womanly cavern. His cherished princess rewarded him handsomely for his efforts with her deep successive feminine moans, sharp intakes of breath, and the slow desperate movements of her hips against his devoted hand.

His nimble fingers continued to explore every nuance of her sensitive blood surged nether lips as he parted her mouth to gaze on the beauty beneath him. His perfect girl, the girl who only wanted his touch and no one elses. An overwhelming sense of male bravado and all consuming love filled his chest. The girl and her body belonged to him. She was his to do with as he pleased, and all he desired was to make her understand how much he adored her.

'_My Hime-chan. So beautiful, so sweet, so sensual._' He watched her face tense. He smiled proudly to himself as he surveyed her inviting lips while they desperately tried and failed to piece words together.

He wanted to give her a present, something she'd never had before. He wanted her to desire the pleasure she felt. He wanted her to feel the intimate rapture without the degrading shame she was used to. He wanted her to know that this was now her life, that she held all of the power, and everything he was hinged on her whim. He wanted to watch her face as she climaxed under his lovingly devote supervision.

Uryuu positioned two fingers at her entrance and pushed them slowly in. He wriggled and gyrated the digits abrasively against the highly sensitive and easily aroused flesh that paved the way inside of her. He felt the girl beneath him exhale in relief.

"Uryuu… don't… don't stop… more." Orihime panted heavily. When his fingers began to press past her opening all the air was expelled from her body in aching relief and yearning anticipation. For more than two days she'd been dying for her perfect boy to have his way with her; to touch her in anyway, and to touch her anywhere he pleased.

She felt his two fingers finally press past her entrance. They naively explored their strange new territory. An all consuming sense of elation racked her body. She was his first and she'd be his last – his only. He was just for her. She spread her legs wider; beckoning his virgin fingers to explore what belonged to them.

Nothing had ever felt like this. It felt so right, so good for any part of him to be inside of her. She was his home, his castle. He belonged there.

She felt his skilled and strong archer's fingers tickle the roof of her cavern. He was searching. "There!" she breathlessly let out. He found what she knew he was looking for.

Uryuu couldn't believe how wonderful she was. _'She knows what I'm trying to do, and she's helping me!'_ He was grateful for the help; he only wanted to please his Orihime.

Once his precious girl confirmed that he'd found the spot he was looking for he pressed in an upward motion abrasively against her and continued to deeply massage the erogenous patch by wriggling his two fingers in a 'come hither' motion.

"Yes… Ury-kun… don't stop. Please… please… more." It felt wonderful. She could feel an intense heat slowly build inside of her. She could tell he knew what he was doing, and if she weren't on the brink of orgasm she'd probably tease him for being a pervy geek and studying this technique through a book or online. But damn! He was sooo very good at it! Perfect!

"More Ury-kun… please don't stop. Don't ever stop finger fucking me!" Orihime grabbed a handful of bed in each palm as she arched her back and rocked her hips against his wonderful fingers in perfect tandem with the rhythm of his strokes. He felt so good inside her, she fought against her body. She didn't want to come yet, she wanted more.

Her words brought him to a new pinnacle of arousal. He wanted her to keep talking. He fed off the sensuality she spewed forth. His lust driven haze wasn't far from hers. "Say that again Hime-chan. Tell me what to do."

"Don't… don't stop Ury-kun… more please." She knew what he wanted to hear. It only heightened her own arousal. "You feel so good inside me Ury-kun, don't stop. I need you." Small spasms began to quake within her, she couldn't hold on much longer. Between breathless pants and intoxicatingly rich moans Orihime gave her final command. "Dear god Uryuu, don't ever stop finger fucking me!"

With infused vigor he pressed deeper into her sensitive spot and set his fingers to double time. He doubted there was anything more magnificent than the way she looked at this moment. He felt her walls begin to spasm around his fingers as he maintained his aggressive ministrations. Her whole body tensed, her back arched high and her neck thrashed back into the bed. She dug the heals of her feet into the mattress and grit her teeth between loud wanton moans of intense pleasure.

"Uryuu… Uryuu… Uryuu…" His name was so easy to say! "Oh URYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Her release burst forth with a flooding of warm liquid that bathed his hand and a scream that seemed loud enough to wake the building.

His ego soared. He pulled his dripping fingers out of her and freed his hand from the boxers she wore. Uryuu licked himself clean. He discovered he liked the way her arousal tasted. It made him feel primal and protective. Never once did he take his eyes off his perfect girl as he smoothed away the sweaty hair from her face and softly pet her lips and her rosy cheeks. He idly rubbed the Little Quincy against her thigh as he watched her bask in her afterglow. He would remember everything about this night for the rest of his life.

Several silent minutes passed before Uryuu heard the relaxed and fully sated voice of his angel.

Orihime reached up to pet his face. "I love you Ury-kun. That was amazing!" She'd never felt anything so wonderful in her life.

He smiled sweetly and leaned in to taste her lips, then he just smiled big. Uryuu was a happy boy. Now that he knew how incredible things could be, now that he was certain she wouldn't cower from his touch, he would gladly cater to her body's needs any time.

Orihime draped her arms around her Quincy boys neck and stared at his cocky and self satisfied smirk. _'He definitely earned bragging rights on that front. I never thought I could come so hard from just two fingers inside of me. I have to thank the author Ury-kun got his study material from!' _She liked when he was a cocky and pompous bastard, it just looked so damn good on him!

Orihime pulled her legs back and used her toes to securely latch onto the hem of Uryuu's boxers. In one swift and extremely unexpected move she straightened her legs out and effectively yanked his underwear down to his ankles. "You're turn!"

Uryuu loved the feeling of her arms draped loosely around his neck. He would have been happy just being close to his Hime-chan for the rest of the night. Apparently she had other ideas.

He knew where her hands were, so they weren't the guilty party. "What the… how did you do that?" He turned his head in disbelief. When he saw his bare ass and his boxers hanging loosely at his feet he knew he wasn't imagining things. He looked back at the amused girl beneath him. "Seriously, how did you do that?" He briefly wondered if covertly disrobing him was one of her special celestial powers. If not, he wanted to know how to do that trick too!

Orihime refused to answer. "I said, you're turn. I took off your boxers Ury-kun, now you get mine." She had effectively wiped the cockiness right off of his beautiful face. She fought back the urge to roll her eyes and laugh when she heard his timid reply.

"What? Why? What are we going to do?" It was cute how quickly she could make him go from a two fingered lust crazed sex samurai back into a scared little boy.

"Please Ury-kun." Her eyes silently begged as she hooked his hanging bangs behind his ears. "Don't stop now. I want the rest of you inside of me too. Like your fingers were." She let her arms fall and hoisted herself up onto her elbows to place a chaste kiss on his lips. "I promise Ury-kun, everything will be ok, just like it was a few minutes ago."

"But uh… we don't have any condoms." He shook his head at himself. _'I must be the only guy in the world to push back on a beautiful girl begging for intercourse.' _

"We don't need them, ever. It's my decision to get pregnant." She beamed happily, "so you can come inside me every time." She wanted to feel the warm flood of his release swim inside her womb. Orihime saw he confusion etched in his beautiful face. She was hoping she wouldn't have to say anything further.

She turned her face away from his; she didn't want to see the look in his eyes. "I figured out how to do it in Las Noches. Otherwise I would be pregnant now."

Uryuu felt a strong urge to avenge his wonderful girl. Everything about her time in Las Noches disgusted him. This was just another reminder, among many, that she had been raped. He knew she wanted to replace the vile memories with good ones. He also knew he was the only one who could do that.

He took a deep breath. He knew he was being stupid, and his stupidity was hurting her. Being the source of any of her pain and suffering was the one thing that was truly unbearable.

He'd always considered himself a traditionalist. He thought he'd be married before having sex, but then again there was absolutely nothing ordinary about the woman he loved or their relationship. He wanted to do whatever he could to make a proper traditional Japanese woman out of Orihime. He knew that's what she wanted. He supposed so much was out of the ordinary already, one more thing didn't matter that much.

Orihime felt the weight on the bed shift. When she looked back over at her beautiful boy she noticed that he'd freed his ankles from the restraint of his boxers. He was sitting naked on his knees with his eyes closed in the center of the bed between her legs with a Little Quincy staring avidly at his chin. He looked like he was meditating.

In silence she watched him and studied the way his body moved with his even breathing. He was a work of art. Sculpted, disciplined, and his energy was always in perfect harmony with his surroundings. When his eyes finally opened he just smiled lovingly at her and slowly freed her from her boxers before he freed her from her t-shirt.

He knew what the answers to his questions would be. "Orihime, do you want children?"

The question caught her off guard, but she nodded. "Yes, someday."

"With me?" he asked.

This time she smiled at him. "Only you Ury-kun. No one else."

"Then someday, when we're ready, will you marry me Inoue Orihime?" He watched her shocked expression and sharp in take of breath. "I can only offer you myself in return, but I'll give you everything that I am. I swear on the pride of the Quincy and my love for you that nothing will ever be more important to me than your safety and your happiness." He watched silent tears streak down her beautiful face.

"Orihime, will you give me the chance to give you the life you want. Will you be my wife and the mother of my children?"

Tears flowed freely down her face. Orihime knew that he'd propose someday, but just not so soon. '_That's why he wouldn't sleep with me? He wanted to wait for marriage?'_

----------------------

Uryuu positioned himself on top of his bride to be. He fumbled around as he tried to place the Little Quincy at her entrance. He was grateful when he felt Orihime's hand reach down to properly position him.

He rested between her legs, propped up on his elbows. He watched her beautiful face as she watched him. Slowly he pushed forward, not really sure what to expect. Uryuu felt Orihime's legs wrap loosely around his, and he smiled to himself when he saw her eyes flutter. He could tell she liked the feeling of him sliding into her just as much as he did. It was the most incredible sensation. Her hungry warmth and wetness wrapped tightly around him, hugging him, softly milking him. He kept slowly pressing forward till he felt a barrier press back against him. "Orihime is that…"

Orihime cut him off. "…Yes. I know it's strange after everything I've been through, but you'll have to break it." It was an odd circumstance indeed. Orihime had lost count of how many times she'd been penetrated, and yet the one boy she wanted inside of her was actually was pressed up against her fully intact maiden barrier.

"When I self healed I fixed everything. It's what Aizen-sama." She stopped and caught herself. It was habit. It just slipped. She didn't mean to address him with such honor. "I mean, it's what Aizen wanted." She shrugged. "I guess he likes raping virgins. And Grimmjow just liked the feel of tearing flesh." Orihime was used to these ideas, but she felt the shivers run down her precious Quincy's spine. She could feel the loathing and disgust drip off him like a rich molasses.

"Ury-kun, please, don't think of them. Push through." She raked her nails soothingly through his soft hair, and smiled reassuringly at him. "You're the only one that matters. It should have been you that broke through in the first place." She bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Besides sexy Quincy boy, I'm glad I can still give this to you. Please, be the last one to claim me. Make me what I want to be - yours."

It was beyond him how anyone could ever hurt someone as sweet and amazing as his Hime-chan. The very thought seemed as unnatural to him as pink grass or a zebra stripped moon. "Anything for you Orihime, always."

He leaned in to kiss her with his eyes wide open before he buried his entire length deep inside her in one quick thrust. He heard her wince lightly into his mouth and he watched her face contort slightly at the all too familiar pain.

When he felt her smile against his lips he pulled his head back and gazed at the most beautiful site. She smiled up at him. Tears rolled down the sides of her face. She was happy. He made her happy.

"Thank you Ury-kun." Tears welled up as she felt his love fill her deep inside where only disgust and shame had festered. Only he could make her feel like a thing of beauty once again.

There was so much love in his eyes. She watched him wipe her tears away. Such careful tenderness in his touch. _'He loves me so much.' _She studied his violet eyes and watched the fireworks of her own power burst behind them. It comforted her to know that she found a way to bury herself deep inside him, just as he had buried himself inside of her.

With both hands she pulled his face forward and kissed him hard. Desire and a feral need to be taken by him filled her voice. "Don't stop now Ury-kun, please don't stop. You're right where you're supposed to be." She pushed deeper onto him. "Do whatever you want with me. I promise I can take it. I want to feel you move inside of me." He had lifted her veil of darkness. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life showing him how grateful she was.

Orihime ran her hands vigorously up and down his chest. "My body is for your pleasure and yours alone."

She smirked sinisterly at her shocked Quincy boy. Even if she didn't feel him grow even bigger inside of her, she could clearly tell her profligate behavior aroused him greatly. She reached up and twisted one of his nipples, she knew he liked that. "As the future Mrs. Ishida and the mother of your army of little violet eyed Quincy babies I demand you use me for your pleasure because you won't be getting it anywhere else, buddy… ever! Now, come inside of me!"

He cocked a curious eyebrow. The idea of having an army of little violet eyed Quincy babies with the most perfect and precious girl ever created enticed him. _'Anything for you Orihime.'_

Yet, he scoffed playfully. "Oh really? So I suppose you're it for me then huh?" Her impatience and her cute little glare were adorable. Ishida Uryuu was the happiest boy alive. _'JACKPOT!_'

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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Updates seem to be running at 1-2 weeks these days. – I'd rather write this story though. Seriously, don't get used to the long chapters. But this was a special chapter. (smiles contently, Uryuu's a VERY lucky boy!)

I'm tired now… nap time.

_**Thanks to those who continue reading. **__**Please review**___

_**The reviews really do help me. I wonder what people like and do not like about the story. **_


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

It's really bad to tape up your Zanpakto to restrain it as punishment for bad behavior. I've heard they get pretty pissed off if you do that.

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**Chapter Edit History**

3/11/2008 Minor grammar and spelling corrections, nothing important

3/11/2008 Additional grammar and spelling changes thanks to reader feedback

I'm working on getting some betas. Damn hard to find betas for long IshiHime original dramas.

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**Chapter Summary**

This is the morning after Orihime finally convinces Uryuu to 'give it up.' Tatsuki and Shiori show up at the IshiHime household, unannounced, to drop off some food and get everything planned for the day of moving. Uryuu and Shiori come to an understanding, and Orihime helps Tatsuki figure a few things out.

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**CHAPTER****12**

Tatsuki yawned deeply while she banged her head lightly against the car window. "Mom, why do we have to do this so early? I'm too tired to move Orihime's stuff."

A hidden grin crossed the girl's face as she fondly recalled just exactly who was responsible for her lack of sleep and why. _'I'll have to find something else to fess-up about. Fess-up sex with Chizzy is incredible!'_ She closed her eyes and almost instantly the relaxing vibrations of the car lulled Tatsuki off to a light sleep.

Shiori ignored her cranky daughter who'd never really been much of a morning person. _'She'll be fine once she starts moving around.' _She looked over at the sleeping girl and smiled. _'She still whines just like she did when she was a little girl. Some things never change,' _pangs of sadness darkened her bright morning,_ 'and some things I'll never know.'_

Arisawa Shiori had never been able to look at Tatsuki without thinking of Uryuu. The only thing she knew about her son was what others told her and the little she learned after spending just one night with him. She had determined that he was remarkably like his father. Uryuu was just as thick-headed, up tight, and serious. She could tell he was the closeted good guy type, the kind that would give the clothes off his back to a stranger in need but then coldly scoff at any thanks that might be awarded. And just like his father, he seemed to perpetually sport a scowl except when he was with the girl he loved. _'Yup, just like Ken-kun!_'

She was proud of her children, they were all very honorable, kind-hearted, compassionate, and caring, though they showed it in different ways. The twins were young but already they had grown into the kind of people that made the world a better place for everyone just by being themselves.

The elder woman pulled into a space near her son's apartment and parked the car. A strong feeling of pride, familial nostalgia, and maternal longing flooded her chest. She reached out to pet her daughter's head like she used to when she was a little girl. She was disappointed but not the least bit surprised when Tatsuki swatted her hand away.

"Mom! I was sleeping. And, stop trying to pet me; I'm not a dog you know."

"Hmph!" Shiori scoffed as she undid her seat belt and got out of the car. "You know, I carried you around for nine months and spent two hellish days in labor giving birth to you and your brother. I put up with a lot of crap Tatsuki-chan, I'll pet you if I want to!"

As Tatsuki got out of the car she could have sworn she heard her mother mumble something about "ungrateful children" and "payback's a bitch." _'Oh no here it comes.'_ Tatsuki rolled her eyes; she knew this passive-aggressive maternal guilt-trip of a lecture well. She knew what was going to come out of her mother's mouth next.

The girl silently and in perfect sync with the older woman mockingly mouthed her mother's words.

"Just you wait Tatsuki-chan, when you have kids of your own you'll understand!" Shiori walked over to the other side of the car to help her daughter carry up the food she made for the day. As soon as Tatsuki's hands were full she ruffled her daughter's hair and gave her a quick kiss. She was proud of her sneaky tactics. "I love you Tatsuki-chan."

Tatsuki sighed in defeat. "I love you too Mom, just don't pull that crap when we're around other people ok." She gave her mother a warm smile. "Come on; let's go wake those two up. If I don't get to sleep in they shouldn't get to sleep in either."

Tatsuki felt impish evil course through her veins. She knew just what to do to get back at her mother for making her get up so early and for her sneaky tactics at motherly doting. With her hands full Tatsuki continued on her way and passively shouted back to her mother, "gee I sure hope Orihime didn't convince Uryuu to have sex with her last night."

"Yes!" She knew she hit center target when she heard three glass jars drop out of her mother's hands and shatter against the ground. "Paybacks a bitch Mom" the girl shouted back. Tatsuki put as much distance between her and her mother as she could and hauled ass to the door laughing the whole way. She was definitely wide awake now.

Shiori reconsidered her earlier loving endearments. _'Grr… damn mischievous little smart-ass! You're defiantly my kid! I swear Tatsuki, you brat, when you have kids I'm going to feed them a ton of candy before sending them home to you!'_

Shiori bent down to clean up the mess her problem-child of a daughter instigated. She was lost in thought. The thought of Uryuu and Orihime having sex really did bother her. Aside from the maternal turmoil of being forced to accept the fact that her kids were growing up it was only the threat of pregnancy or disease that scared Shiori. She didn't want them getting into trouble or potentially damaging their futures.

She just didn't want them to repeat the same mistakes she and Ryuuken had made. She was only 15 when she found out she was pregnant with Ryuu. She was grateful to have the support of both her family and his, especially since her Ken-kun is 5 years older. Had their families been opposed to their relationship he could have been arrested.

Once her mother caught up to her, Tatsuki knocked on the apartment door and continued to snicker lightly at her mother's expense. She kept her eyes downcast to avoid the maternal and menacing glare that radiated like heat off the elder Arisawa.

Neither of the women expected an out of breath, sweaty, and wide awake Uryuu to answer the door with a bed sheet haphazardly wrapped around his waist.

Tatsuki stared with gapping and disbelieving eyes. _'Wow! Maybe I shouldn't have picked on Mom about them sleeping together, and DAMN who the hell knew he looked -that- good under his school clothes!'_ An unpleasant shiver ran down her spine as she shook her head, _'ewww, he's my brother!'_

Tatsuki quickly set her armful of goodies on the ground and took the load out of her mother's arms before she dropped that too. She watched her mother's face turn white. The entire scenario was rather humorous.

"Who is it Ury-kun?" They all heard a jubilant Orihime shout from the bedroom. "If their selling cookies can we buy some?" They all heard her beast of a stomach growl too. "Pleeease Ury-kun. I'm really hungry!"

Uryuu clamped his eyes tightly shut. They were nicely framed by the deep crimson flush that exploded on his face. _'This isn't happening!' _Even an idiot strategist could recognize that there was no way to get around this one. He hung his head in defeat and with slouched shoulders he opened the front door wider and invited them in. Avidly avoiding any eye contact. "Give us 15 minutes we'll be out."

Tatsuki never saw anyone disappear from a room so quickly. She carried all the food in and set it on the kitchen counters. Her poor mother just looked shocked. _'Wow, I wonder what would happen if she knew I was having sex too. Heh, and with a girl no less!' _Tatsuki decided she loved her mother and didn't see any reason for updating her on the sexual exploits of both of her kids at the same time. She didn't want to put the poor woman in a comma.

"Mom, I'm making some tea. It'll be ready soon just don't keel over and die before its ready, ok?" Tatsuki ducked her head back into the safety of the kitchen when her mother's eye twitched menacingly at her. _'Yikes Mom!'_

When Uryuu walked back into the bedroom Orihime was still jumping up and down on the bed wearing only her Transformer Underoos. She was right where he'd left her when he begrudgingly left her side to go and answer the door.

'_She's perfect!'_ He fought the overwhelming urge to grab her by the ankles and drop her onto her back… again.

Between bounces and another unnaturally loud stomach growl Orihime had to know. "Did we get any cookies? What kind are they?"

'_I love her!'_ He dropped the bed sheet to hold out both his arms, beckoning her to jump to him.

Orihime complied without a second thought as she leapt from the bed into his embrace latching her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She was a very-very happy girl.

The girl in his arms made him smile. That's just what she did best! "Shiori-san and Tatsuki are here. I don't know if they have any cookies but they brought more food."

Orihime squealed in delight at the mention of Shiori-san home cooked and delivered food. Thanks to Mr. Unstoppable she was more starved than usual, and Shiori-san's cooking was the best! Orihime wanted to grow up to be just like the woman, she was beautiful, a great mother, and a well renowned executive chef for one of Japan's most exquisite Ryokan chains.

She gave her undercover god a quick kiss and hopped off of him to head toward the food like a starved cow on its way out to pasture.

Uryuu watched in amusement as his sweet girl walked toward the bedroom door. He wondered if she was aware that she only had on little boy's underwear and that was hardly appropriate attire for eating with guests.

"Woah sexy Hime-chan." He pulled her away from the door by the elastic of her Underoos. "We can't go out there looking like this. Let's take a quick shower and get dressed first ok? I told them to give us 15 minutes."

Thirty minutes later a bubbly girl rode into the living room on the back of her noble stead. The freshly cleaned teenagers were ready to join their house guests.

Orihime jumped down from her stead and cheerfully wrapped her arms around Shiori and gave her a wonderful hug.

Shiori couldn't help but smile as she hugged her surrogate daughter back. _'Go figure, the one that I didn't suffer the through the torments of pregnancy with is the one who lets me hug her.'_ "Good morning Orihime, how are you feeling this morning dear?"

"I feel wonderful Shiori-san! And guess what?" She was so excited she didn't wait for the woman to acknowledge her. "I get to be your daughter too Shiori-san." Orihime smiled big and bright, her happiness and excitement were undeniable. "Ury-kun proposed to me last night!" The girl wrapped her arms back around her future mother-in-law's neck.

The piece of toast Tatsuki had been chewing fell from her mouth.

Shiori's eye twitch came back. Still locked in an exuberant Hime-hug she glared at her son over the girl's shoulder.

Uryuu ignored the other two women in the room. The only thing he saw was Orihime. He wasn't the least bit shy, bashful, or embarrassed. He was proud. _'Yup…' _he rocked slightly back and forth on his feet, _'I'm going marry that girl someday!_' He didn't care who the hell knew or what they thought. He was the luckiest boy in the world.

Orihime broke from the hug completely oblivious to the odd atmosphere she had created. The happy girl blushed when her stomach roared again. "Heh heh. I'm really hungry. Thank you for the yummy food Shiori-san." Orihime bounced off toward the kitchen after stopping to give her Tatsuki-chan a quick hug. "Ury-kun and I have been playing all morning, he makes me hungry."

Tatsuki choked and grabbed a napkin to catch the milk that began dripping out of her nose. _'Guess I should thank Mom after all for getting me up this morning.' _She watched her mother employ soothing breathing techniques. The elder woman was a perfect picture of false serenity.

This time Uryuu did blush. To save face he disappeared into the kitchen for both refuge and food. As it turned out his Hime-chan was full of energy. It was only through years of strenuous Quincy training that he could keep up with her. His sweet girl of his had him starved for food. _'Hah!'_ He mused at the irony, '_I guess that's what I get for literally falling in love with someone made from pure energy!'_

He disappointedly surveyed the size of his refrigerator. _'Oh no, that won't do!'_ He clicked his tongue and smiled deviously, '_If we keep this up we'll need at least two maybe three refrigerators in this place and a lifetime supply of energy bars!_'

'_My children want to kill me. Why? Why, do they all want to kill me? I only want to love the little brats and give them good lives!_' Then there was sign, a sign that Shiori interpreted as reassurance that her children didn't want to kill her, but rather they wanted her to live long and suffer over time for their own sadistic pleasures.

From behind she felt the arms of her wonderful daughter wrap her into a falsely consoling hug.

Shiori's constant retort was clear as bell in Tatsuki's head - _just wait till you have kids of your own. Then you'll understand! _

"Remember Mom, if you castrate your baby boy you won't get any grandchildren out of him later." Tatsuki continued to mock her mother safely from behind. "And if he doesn't have kids of his own, he'll never understand how badly he's making you suffer right now."

Tatsuki bolted away laughing her ass off and locked herself in the bathroom. She loved picking on her mother; it was just too easy sometimes.

"ARISAWA TATSUKI, you little devil child. Get back here!" Shiori felt the seeds of a budding headache begin to take root behind her eyes as she began massaging her temples to help relieve the pressure.

There would be no peace for the kind priestess this morning; she was taking shots from all angles. In her head she heard the familiar words and taunting self satisfied laughter of her own mother, '_Shiori, you little devil child get back here this instant. I swear on The Heart I hope your own children are just like you! Just you wait young lady; you'll understand when you have kids of your own!' _

'_Tatsuki you little brat, you're just like me, right down to the wild hairs on your rotten little head.' _It was true,even as an adult Shiori's hair would be just as unruly as her daughter's if she decided to cut it short again.

Shiori sighed in defeat. _'Damn you mother! How did you keep from killing me?'_

Uryuu and Orihime paused from piling food onto their plates and stuffing what wouldn't fit on their plates into their mouths to stick their heads out from inside the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.

Tatsuki stuck her head out of the bathroom door and beckoned her best friend over to her. She glared at Uryuu when he followed behind Orihime like a yo-yo on a short string. "Not you Sex Pistol! Go away. I meant Orihime!" She glared at her brother whose only retaliation was to scowl because his mouth was so stuffed with food he couldn't take up a verbal front. Then Tatsuki sported a wonderfully malicious grin, "besides, I think Mom wants to talk to you." She pulled Orihime into the bathroom and locked the door.

Uryuu turned his fully stuffed chipmunk cheeks in Shiori's direction. He was met by her stern glare. "What?" He said with shrugged shoulders as some rice escaped his overly stuffed mouth.

Shiori patted the seat next to her. "Come sit, let's talk."

'_Uh oh… that's never good.' _He continued to pop food into his mouth. _ 'She looks kind of scary.'_ There weren't really any other options. Uryuu complied.

Shiori didn't waste any time. "I thought you and Orihime weren't having sex."

Uryuu choked on his food. "What?... And I recall telling you that our relationship wasn't any of your business."

He could tell his cold bastard attitude hurt her. He knew that the woman sitting across the table from him loved his Hime-chan and had quite literally devoted her entire life and sacrificed her whole family to ensure Orihime's welfare. And as alien and slightly disturbing as it felt, he could also tell that she loved him. Uryuu had to remind himself that not all adults, not all parents were like his father.

"I'm sorry Shiori-san. I didn't mean to sound so cold. I know you love Orihime…" he was cut off.

"I love you too Uryuu." Shiori wanted to make him understand that she was not his enemy.

The boy shifted in his seat. Aside from Sensei and Orihime, he wasn't used to people caring for him. He chose to ignore her statement. "And I know you want what's best for her…" again, he was cut off.

"I want what's best for you too Uryuu." She wanted her family back.

Again, as a result of his personal discomfort, he ignored her. "But, I do honestly believe that our relationship is no one else's business Shiori-san. Orihime loves you and she loves me. If we fight over this it will only hurt her." He took a deep breath. "If we fight over this Shiori-san, Orihime will choose me."

He gauged closely the reactions and posture of the woman who gave him life, "if that happens then we all loose each other again. Orihime doesn't want that and neither do I." He watched her sadden at the thought of loosing her children once again.

"I am not sure how to be a son. I've never really been one. And even though you seem to be a wonderful mother, I do not know you as _my_ mother. Right now learning to be a son it is not a priority of mine. Orihime's welfare is all that matters to me. So if you want me back in your life, if you want to keep Orihime in your life, it will only be on Orihime's terms which are the same as my own. Orihime and I and our private relationship are a package deal."

In an unsuspecting moment of compassion for the woman who sat across from him, partially fueled by his own resurrected memories of a little boy who used to cry himself to sleep because his mother was never there to tuck him in at night, Uryuu reached out and took his mother's hand in his own.

"Look, Shiori-san, you are a kind woman who has already sacrificed too much. I do not say any of this to be cruel, I do this protect Orihime from pointless and hurtful drama. I do this so you can once again make the choice to keep your children or let them go. Please, you must accept us as we are or you will get nothing at all."

Uryuu felt bad. He didn't want to hurt the kind woman, but in the interest of sparing Orihime any heartache by being thrown in the middle and being forced to choose, the cards had to be clearly laid out before anything got out of hand.

"Shiori-san, what is it about Orihime and mine's relationship that bothers you so much?" He could tell that the tears in her eyes would begin to fall any moment. "I know nothing about any of this is normal, but I don't see why we can't all have what it is we truly want."

Shiori sat up straight and tried to compose herself. She was prepared to fight the average teenage boy who couldn't control his hormones, the average teenage boy who swore he was in love, the average teenage boy who would get fed up and accuse her of not understanding how special and unique his relationship was. She expected two children who thought it would be fun to play house. She wasn't prepared for this. _'You're too much of a man Uryuu. What happened to you? You should still just be a boy.'_

"I will not loose my children again." She wiped a few renegade tears from her eyes. "I miss my baby boy. I miss you. Ishida Uryuu, I want to know my own son. And Tatsuki should have her brother. Family should never separate, especially twins." She covered his hand with hers. "Can I at least ask you a few questions about your relationship with Orihime? She is like a daughter to me."

Uryuu nodded, "but without knowing the questions I can't guarantee an answer."

Again, she cut right to the chase. She was just like her son,. She hated procrastination and she hated beating around the bush. "Did you use condoms, and what about protection against STDs?"

Uryuu choked again. "Wow, uh ok. You cut right to the chase don't you!" For a moment he thought about not answering the question, but even though it was personal he felt that he could meet her half way on the demands. If she would accept his relationship with Orihime as it was, he would at least try and give her peace of mind.

"No, turns out condoms aren't necessary." He watched her shocked face. "I know… I probably looked the same way you do now when Orihime told me that we didn't need them. But she figured out during her time in Las Noches that she can control rather or not she gets pregnant." He shrugged, "so we won't be having any kids until we decide we want them."

"As for the STD thing, neither of us plan on ever being with anyone else, but even if that weren't the case Orihime's healing abilities can counteract anything the human body could become exposed to."

Shiori was relieved that her two greatest concerns didn't seem to be an issue. "Las Noches, isn't that where the Hollows live? And how did Orihime realize that she could control her ability to conceive when she was there?"

"You're kidding me right?" It was Uryuu's turn to be shocked!

"Kidding? Kidding about what?" She couldn't understand why her son was looking at her as if she had sprouted a horn and wings.

"Shiori-san, what exactly do you think has been going on with Orihime for the past month and a half?" He thought for sure Tatsuki or Urahara or maybe even Yoruichi had been keeping the woman up to date. Apparently he was wrong.

"Everyone said she hit her head pretty badly and she's been in the hospital. Why?" She was starting to catch on. "That's not what's been going on has it?" Shiori felt a nagging fear grip her. "Uryuu, tell me what happened to Orihime?"

"Shiori-san, you aren't going to like what I'm about to tell you, but I think you should know and I'm certain Orihime would agree. What I'm about to tell you only a very few people know, specifically the people who were at the Urahara shop the night Orihime was rescued from Las Noches." Uryuu watch the color begin to fade from the woman's face.

'_Rescued?'_ The nagging fear she felt grew stronger.

"And yes, Tatsuki knows, she was at the Urahara Shop that night. And she's been there everyday for at least three hours a day watching over Orihime ever since." He took a slow drink of tea to gather his thoughts. As if the instabilities of The Heart weren't enough, he began to tell her the horrid tale of Orihime's other burden.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom…

Tatsuki and Orihime sat against the wall next to one another on the tiled floor. Even though Orihime wondered why they were hiding in the bathroom her greater focus lay in devouring the food on her plate. Between helpings Orihime managed to mumble out, "why are we in her Tatsuki-chan?"

"Oh that, uh I'm hiding from Mom. I've been giving her a hard time all morning and I think I'm one wise crack away from a coffin." Tatsuki watched the girl inhale her food. Even after so many years she still couldn't help but wonder where the hell she put all of those calories. To date, her best guess was that they were stored in her ample chest so they'd be on hand when needed – a reservoir, like a camels hump. "So you and Ishida huh?"

Orihime took another bite of her rice ball before she smiled big and shook her head emphatically.

"So were you serious when you said he proposed? You're really going to marry him?" Tatsuki already knew the answer, but she needed to hear it from the girl's own mouth that they could never be together. Orihime had just been such a big part of her heart for so long. But the plain and simple truth was that Tatsuki had recently experienced enough to know that Orihime and Uryuu really did belong together.

"Yes, yes Tatsuki-chan. See, we finally get to be sisters!" Orihime set her food down and gave her best friend a hug. "We'll always be together now. I get to be with all of you now, you, Ury-kun, and Shiori-san!"

Orihime watched her melancholy friend carefully. "What's the matter? Why do you look so sad?"

"It's nothing I won't get over Orihime." Tatsuki fidgeted her fingers. "I mean for so long it was just us all the time, you know? But so much has changed. It'll just take some getting used to."

Tatsuki smiled sincerely and gently squeezed her friend's hand, "but I am happy for you Orihime. He loves you, he respects you, and he'd do anything to make you happy. You're a lucky girl. And I know for a fact that he knows just how lucky he is to have you." Tatsuki watched the look on her Orihime's face morph to confusion.

"From last night Orihime." She held up her left wrist to let her Quincy cross hang. "When I put this on; don't you remember? It was when he let some of his reiatsu flow to me." She watched Orihime nod in remembrance. "What he shared with me was how he felt about you Orihime. It was amazing really."

Tatsuki dropped her eyes and let her chin fall against her chest. "And actually, I'm kind of jealous."

Orihime couldn't remember he last time the two of them just sat and talked as friends about the things that really mattered. She was happy to have her friend back, and she was very happy to know that her relationship with Uryuu would guarantee that the two of them would always be a part of one another's lives. But Orihime could tell that Tatsuki wasn't happy. Despite her sincere and reassuring words something was bothering her friend. "Why jealous Tatsuki-chan?"

The dark haired girl sat quietly and thought for awhile. She just felt a sense of personal and general overall loss from Orihime's new life even though it served the greater good. Still, Tatsuki hadn't bothered to dissect it yet. After several moments she stared at the tiled floor and spoke quietly. "It's not my job to protect you anymore Orihime. It's his. He'll walk you home, he'll be the one who you'll do your homework with and go to the movies with. He'll be the one that always has you around to cheer him up when he feels down… And that's how it should be, you've found something better. I guess I'm just jealous that you have someone who loves you just as you are, flaws and all, and still wants to be with you by your side through everything and share everything with you."

Tatsuki took a deep breath to try and keep her emotions in check. "Since you won't be around as much I'll have more time to think about everything, like what I want and don't have." Tatsuki looked into her friend's eyes and forced out a strained laugh, "and you know how much I hate to think!"

'_Only Chizzy makes thinking fun.'_ It was a passive and barely noticed thought that ran through Tatsuki's head.

Orihime decided her food could wait. If it were anyone other than her favorite boy or her favorite girl, the food would certainly not be put on hold. "Wow, I guess you're kind of right. I never thought about all of that before. I mean Ury-kun and I just came together so fast and there's been so much to deal with lately. I think if it had all been reversed, and you found someone you wanted to be with I'd probably feel the same way – you know happy but a little lost."

Orihime wrapped her arms around Tatsuki's neck and gave her a heartfelt but short hug. "But I love you Tatsuki-chan, it would hurt me if I ever thought I was loosing you. But you shouldn't worry or be jealous because if anything, I know we'll always be together now that we'll be family someday. We're much more than just best friends now." Orihime's voiced perked up exuberantly, "we're best friends with benefits."

Orihime frowned when Tatsuki nearly rolled over to lean against the tub in full fit of laughter. "Umm Orihime you know that's not really what 'friends with benefits' means, don't you? I mean I have a friend with benefits." _'Crap that just slipped out. I hope Orihime missed it._' "And you are –definitely- not one of those!"

Orihime was confused, "Then what are friends with benefits?"

Tatsuki blushed a little, "they're uh, friends you have sex with but not a relationship."

"YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE?!?" Orihime couldn't contain herself.

'_Holy shit, I guess she didn't miss it.'_ Tatsuki quickly jumped into the empty tub to put some distance between herself and the overly excited and unrelenting princess.

Orihime was dying to know who her best friend was sleeping with. "Who is it Tatsuki-chan who is it? Tell me tell me tell me, pleeeeease." Orihime begged sweetly and batted her eyelashes. "Besides you know who I'm sleeping with, it's only fair." Orihime stuck out her tongue, "I think that's in the best friend code of ethics book, somewhere. Now you have to tell me!"

'_Wow, Orihime's on crack!_' Tatsuki couldn't help but laugh at the other girl's enthusiasm and energy. "Oh really now, I'd like to see a copy of that book." It felt great to have the old Orihime back though. She missed talking to her best friend but, "I don't know Orihime. It's kind of an odd situation."

"Pshaw, spit it out Tatsuki-chan, nothing about either of our lives right now is anything less than odd." She began to tickle the girl, "Tell me and this will stop! Who are you sleeping with? Tell me… tell me… tell me."

"Alright alright-alright already, I forgot how pushy and persistent you can get sometimes. Geez… back away you scary little fru-fru! You know how much I hate to be tickled!" Tatsuki sighed in relief when Orihime ceased her cruel and relentless tickle torture.

The dark haired girl growled at her fried. "I really hate when you do that Orihime, but if I tell you it has to stay a secret."

Orihime nodded emphatically. "Right, you got it. A secret just you, me, and Ury-kun."

"Noooooo, just you and me. No to your Ury-kun, Mr. Sex Pistol doesn't need to know." Tatsuki proclaimed.

Orihime cocked her eyes at Tatsuki's latest nickname for her Ury-kun, she decided that it was entirely too accurate to debate and let it go. "But I tell him everything Tatsuki-chan. He won't tell, I promise."

"Nope, it doesn't work that way." Tatsuki said sternly.

The look on Orihime's face dulled. She looked her friend straight in the eye and spoke in a dead serious tone that just didn't fit the current mood or playful. "It does for me Tatsuki-chan. I'll never hide anything from Ury-kun. And he doesn't hide anything from me. So if it's something I can't share with him then it's something I shouldn't know. I'm sorry Tatsuki-chan, I love you too much to lie to you. Anything you tell me is fair game for him too."

Tatsuki remembered how good it felt to share herself with Chizuru last night. Part of the reason she envied Orihime's relationship with Uryuu was because she knew they just clicked naturally like that, they shared everything and it was unfathomable to consider holding back. "Ok, fine, but if he gives me shit about this Orihime I'm going to be pissed off!"

"He won't. I promise. Mr. Sex Pistol is a good boy." They both laughed. "Ury-kun will know I won't like it if he picks on you about something he found out through me."

'_Now or never I guess.'_ In a barely audible voice Tatsuki spilled her secret, "Chizuru."

Orihime could barely hear her friend, 'huh? Chizuru, what?" She leaned in closer to make sure she heard right this time.

"Chizuru," Tatsuki felt her backbone start to re-emerge. "That's who I've been sleeping with for the past two years."

"TWO YEARS?!? " Orihime wondered if they'd really grown that far apart from one another that she hadn't noticed this.

'_That's what she's surprised about, that it's been going on for two years?'_ Tatsuki was shocked to say the least that the fact that she'd been sleeping with a girl didn't surprise or even seem to bother Orihime. She was even further beside herself that she didn't seem to mind that it was Chizuru, the girl who attempted to shamelessly grope her on a daily basis.

Orihime mulled the thought of Tatsuki and Chizuru through her head. Her curiosity had peaked, and she inquired coolly... "Soooo, Tatsuki-chan," Orihime sat straight up on her knees eager for a detailed answer, "is she any good?"

"WHAT?!?" Tatsuki's mouth hung gapping. "Oh my god Orihime, you're a pervert too!" Tatsuki felt like some coveted part of the world had just been destroyed. _'Orihime's not supposed to be a perv like the rest of us!' _

Orihime was so happy her Tatsuki-chan wasn't alone, but still she couldn't wait for the juicy details. "Spill it! You're too far gone now. You have to tell me everything. And you know you want to. You've been holding this in for two years. That's a really long time to not say anything at all."

Tatsuki found it difficult to talk about Chizuru to anyone, let alone Orihime. She thought it might help to relax as she rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes to pretend she wall all alone. Softly she began. "Unbelievable! She's phenomenal, even after two years."

Tatsuki found herself getting lost in thoughts of her Pervy-chan, once she started she just couldn't will herself to stop. "She's good, she'd definitely a god at sex. Not that I have anything to compare her too, but aside from sex she's so soft and curvy and despite how obnoxious she is in public when she sees hot girls, she really is the sweetest thing. For the life of me I can' figure out why she's so patient and understanding when I'm such a distant and secretive moody bastard most of the time."

Orihime watched a bright smile play across Tatsuki's relaxed face. "And no matter what's going on, Chizzy always makes me feel better."

'_Oh wow, I wasn't expecting all of that. Tatsuki-chan really likes Chizuru.'_ But in her voice there was something more. "Tatsuki-chan's in love!"

Tatsuki's eyes shot wide open, she didn't mean to say so much it just spilled out. _'No point in denying it now I guess.' _"Hai, I do love Chizuru, but I can't tell her."

"Why not?" Orihime just didn't understand. "How could you not tell someone you want to be with them after already having two years of history?"

Tatsuki felt kind of like an asshole under Orihime's scrutinous gaze. "Orihime, Chizuru is really good to me. I can't hurt her anymore than I already have. It's not right to tell her I can commit to her if I can't give her everything," Tatsuki hung her head and sighed, "like you and Mr. Sex Pist… uh, my brother."

After a few moments pause, Orihime heard, "Look Orihime, there's someone else that matters too. I won't tell Chizzy how I feel unless I'm certain she's the one for me. Until I know my heart belongs to only to her. She deserves at least that much."

'_I never knew Tatsuki-chan kept all this stuff bottled up in her. I really haven't been a very good best friend to her either.'_ "Who else Tatsuki-chan? Is it another girl? Is this other person more important than Chizuru-chan?"

"Hai, it's a girl. And, both of them are silly and sweet fru-fru girls. In some ways yes the other girl is more important, and in some ways no." Tatsuki felt trashy for admitting to such a thing.

Orihime was determined to help her best friend figure this out. She figured it was the least she could for not being there for her for so long. "Okay… so how about if you were drowning in a pit of boiling lava that was infested with mean man-eating lava dwelling goldfish and you only had one chance of rescue. Who would you call? Who would push aside everything else in their lives to come to your rescue?"

"Oh, no contest, Chizuru!" It surprised Tatsuki how quickly that came out.

"Now you choose where you'd go Tatsuki-chan, same scenario." Orihime was having a blast with this. It felt great to help someone. To feel useful rather than feel like the people-phobic, universe eating ticking time-bomb that she really was.

"I can't choose Orihime, that's my problem. There are too many variables on that side of the equation." _'Really Orihime, I know there's a line somewhere that tells me which side to be on. I just can't seem to find it on my own. How do I choose between you two, you both matter so much, just in different ways.'_

"Don't fear love Tatsuki-chan. Trust me, there's nothing more powerful. Take me for instance, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I know love will fix it. Love will save everyone." Orihime's eyes glassed over briefly, "Ury-kun will save everyone."

'_Ury-kun will save everyone, what the hell is she talking about?'_ "Orihime are you ok?" Tatsuki snapped her fingers in front of Orihime's face to lure her back into the present.

"Yeah sure, fine why?" Orihime didn't wait for an answer. "So let's get back to your head shrinking Tatsuki-chan. It's fun."

Tatsuki was a bit concerned. '_She has no idea what she just said does she?'_

"Ok fine then, make it all even, everything except the parts that are really special between two people; the parts that make a relationship. Make both girls look exactly the same, have the same jobs, the same cars, same grades, same everything except how much they personally matter to you when the day is over - how they relate to you Tatsuki-chan, like no one else can… who do you pick then?" Orihime rested her head on her Tatsuki-chan's shoulder and sat patiently waiting for her friends answer.

In the end Tatsuki wasn't sure if she had just been holding onto the old nostalgic baggage of her first love or if the situations and miraculous circumstances of late just made her feel particularly obligated to Orihime, but unless the fate of the world was at stake it really was Chizuru's face she wanted to see staring at her from the bleachers at her tournaments, not Orihime's.

Tatsuki's personal epiphany had her face shining in relief and heart bursting with love for both the girls in her life. "I love you Orihime! I really do. You really are just my best friend and it shouldn't be any other way!" She locked the girl in a chokingly strong hug. "Thank you."

'_just my best friend – shouldn't be any other way.'_ An unusual thought popped into Orihime's head. _'Am I the other girl? If I am does it really matter?'_ The inner pervert in that lurked deep inside couldn't help but crack a crooked smile. _'Ohhhh, if I wanted too I could have had sexy Quincy twins in my bed! Hah-hah, dual sex pistols!'_

Tatsuki's voice knocked Orihime from her kinky revelations.

"Say, Orihime, Chizzy's been kind of worried about you lately, mind if she helps move your stuff today? I told her about Uryuu being my brother and I told her what I knew about Quincy and Shinigami, which really isn't all that much. But I swear I didn't tell her anything about you except that you love Mr. Sex Pistol and that you're moving in with him. She knows what The Heart is she just doesn't know you're it."

Tatsuki saw the hesitation on Orihime's face. She knew her friend was still shaken up about what happened in Las Noches, and that being around people she hadn't reestablished some measure of trust with yet was something that frightened her. After all, as far as Orihime was concerned she was rescued only three days ago and unwillingly on her knees just four days ago.

"I promise Orihime, Chizzy won't touch you unless you initiate it, and I will always be right there with her. You won't ever be alone. Besides, Mr. Sex Pistol is attached to you like gills on a fish. You know he'll be there too." Tatsuki wished she knew how to help her friend get through all of this. She couldn't imagine how horrible it must feel to be afraid of everyone who cared about you.

"You promise Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime really wasn't keen on the idea but Chizuru was her friend and if Tatsuki said the girl would behave, she would trust her. She knew it wouldn't be easy to let go of her fears, she knew they were irrational, but with Ury-kun by her side she felt brave enough to start trying.

Tatsuki smiled reassuringly. "Hai, Orihime. Chizzy's just playful. She would never actually hurt you though. I promise."

Tatsuki was proud of her friend and happy that Chizuru was going to get to spend the day with her out in the open. This would be the first time she wouldn't hide her Pervy-chan.

"I'll see you in a bit. I'm going to go meet the rental truck guys at your old apartment. I'll call Chizzy and have her meet me there. We'll be back later." Still afraid of her mother's wrath Tatsuki sprinted out of the bathroom and right past her disgusted and distraught mother, right out the front door. From a safe distance she hollered back, "I'm heading to Orihime's to pack. See you later."

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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Updates seem to be running at 1-2 weeks these days. It depends mostly on work.

_**Thanks to those who continue reading. **__**Please review, I rely on the reviews for valuable insight. They help me determine certain undefined aspects of the story**___

_**They really do help me. I wonder what people like and do not like about the story. **_


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

I didn't intend for this chapter to be so long but I had to tie up some loose ends before I could move forward with the story.

The next chapter will most likely be the move itself and Orihime actually facing some of her fears. Oh, and maybe some more stupid silliness (least I think it's funny but no one lets me know). And, If I can manage to not be so long winded I will do my best to make the chapter after that flow a bit faster and hopefully land someone in the hospital. I'll try. It's what's intended anyway.

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**Chapter Edit History**

3/23/2008 mild content addition, little grammar fixes. Nothing significant at all. Only about 3 lines of stuff focused around why it's necessary for Tatsuki to be a body guard. For anyone who cares enough to re-read, ctrl f, search for the word 'mall' and you'll be there.

3/23/2008 grammar and spelling fixes. One line addition to Orihime and roller coasters.

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**Chapter Summary**

Enter Renji the voyeur. Orihime, with Uryuu's support, makes the decision to face some of her fears. Tatsuki's resolve is solidified. Chizuru meets Renji for the first time and leaves a lasting impression. And Orihime's stuff gets packed up and ready for the move.

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**CHAPTER****13**

Orihime was still giddy over Tatsuki's big secret when she stepped out of the bathroom and detachedly scanned the living room. "Hn?" She mentioned passively while scooping more whipped cream, eggs, and rice into her mouth. "Where did Shiori-san go?"

"She'll be back in a little while… maybe." Uryuu answered.

Orihime could tell he was preoccupied. 

"She's out taking a walk." Solemnly he motioned for his girlfriend to come join him at the table.

What's wrong Ury-kun?" She sauntered over and shot a seductive glance his way to try and make her boy smile. "I thought boys were supposed to be happy after lots of sex." She said teasingly as she sat down at the table. The shy blush that crossed his face made her smile. 

Despite the things that weighed heavily on his mind at the moment, happy couldn't even begin to describe how wonderful he felt. It took everything he had to fight back the urge to lock all the doors, call off the move, and drag her back into the bedroom for the rest of their lives. 

'_She's so close I can smell her.'_ His whole body ached for her, he was hooked! It seemed both sweet and cruelly unnecessary torture to not touch her when she was so close. A faint sparkle flashed in his eyes. _'Yes, definitely unnecessary and easy enough to fix!'_ In one swift move the Quincy scooped up his girl and placed her in his lap. "Haven't you teased me enough for one morning?" 

Orihime shook her head "no" and giggled when she felt him kiss and nibble on the back of her neck. She really liked it when he kissed her there. It was one of those simple, sweet, and innocent kinds of gestures that just made her feel beautiful, special, and above all loved. It was like the way he always kissed the top of her head before her left her side. 

All the boy wanted to do was spend a carefree day with his special girl, but that was not what fate had planned. It wasn't surprising when his shoulders dropped. _'I hate to have to be the one to kill the fun. She's so happy this morning.' _

The sound of his voice tickled her ear, it was soft and serious. "Orihime… Shiori-san didn't know anything at all about your time in Las Noches." She felt his chest expand against her back when he took in a deep breath. "She believed that for the past two weeks you were in the hospital because you hit your head. That's the story Tatsuki, Urahara, and Yoruichi told her. Though I'm not sure where she thought you were the whole time before that."

He felt her posture stiffen slightly at the mention of Las Noches. He hoped that someday those words wouldn't affect her so badly. Still, Orihime became slightly more rigid with the unexpected news about Shiori-san's unawareness of her situation. 

"I told her what happened to you. She's taking it pretty hard." He idly buried his nose in her hair to breathe in her wonderful scent as he recalled the horrid look of devastation on his mother's face. "She really does love you like a daughter Orihime."

Even though they both felt Shiori should know what was going on, they were relieved and incredibly grateful that their friends had gone through such great lengths to respect her privacy. It couldn't have been easy on any of them, especially since they were all more than likely dealing with their own issues as a result of everything that had happened.

"And that's why she's out taking a walk?" It wasn't really a question. The sadness in her voice was evident. Orihime didn't like to hurt anyone, especially those she loved. Even in cases like this where it couldn't be helped. She found herself trying to imagine how she might feel if she were a mother and heard such horrible news about her own daughter. It sent a sickening shiver down her spine and filled her with a nauseatingly powerful kind of anger.

Uryuu could see color and flow of her aura as it flared slightly from her anger. It was something he wasn't used to seeing in her. 

"Hai Orihime." He held her tightly. "She didn't want you to see her upset. She didn't want what she was going through to upset you, so she went out for a walk. Shiori-san said it would be selfish of her if she stayed only to have _you_ console her when it should be the other way around." He nuzzled at her neck before resting his chin on her head. "You know, you two are a lot a like that way; seems like something you'd do too." 

"Ury-kun…" Orihime released an angry breath that she didn't know she was holding and leaned deeper into her boy, tilting her head to the side to rest it against his.

"Hn?" He sat silently, hoping that his embrace would comfort her while she mulled over the news.

The pensive girl unconsciously ran feather light touches with her fingertips across his forearms. "Do you think we'll ever be normal again? You know, where it's ok to feel happy for more than just a couple of hours?"

"I don't think we'll ever be normal, I doubt we ever were… as for happy…" That same sparkle flashed in his eye again, the one he had a moment ago when he scooped her into his lap. It was a new look for the normally stoic Quincy, and apparently it was here to stay. In fact Orihime had lost count of how many times she had seen that particular mischievous little glint in his eyes last night. She told him it made him look like a naughty little boy who was about to rob a candy store. 

However, with her back against him she couldn't see this one coming. Uryuu sprung out of the chair cradling his surprised princess against him bridal style and spun in circles around the room, stopping only when she smiled so big he could swear he saw her back teeth. _'I will not let you be sad Hime-chan. Not if I can help it!'_

He bent over to kiss his freshly happy girl. It was a short but sweet kiss that held the promise of millions of kisses whose time had yet to come. "You Hime-chan are destined to be happy. I'll see to that personally!" He smiled infectiously and spun around once more for dramatic effect.

Orihime giggled. "You're a silly undercover god! I love you." It was impossible for her to not believe him. _'Ury-kun's the perfect boy! And no one will ever know it but me.'_ She smiled at just the very thought of him, her very own secret treasure. '_He's goofy when no one else is watching.'_

"Besides," he said as he set her down, "we already have everything we need. We have friends, a family, and each other. We just need to be patient and let everything else run its course. Oh… and uh," he scratched at the back of his neck, "there is one more surprise this morning."

Orihime knew that look too. It was his _do I have to say this _look. She was willing to bet money that he had reason to sport that look more times over these past few days than he'd ever had in his all his previous days combined. So, she cocked a curious eyebrow and patiently waited.

"Since Shiori-san didn't know about Las Noches, she didn't know that you weren't ready to be around people just yet." He looked at her both apologetically and empathetically. "Apparently Renji and some others are meeting Tatsuki at your apartment to help with the move. Shiori-san thought since your place was so small and there wasn't too much stuff, all the extra hands could help get it all done in one day. I don't think Tatsuki knows about it either or she would have said something." 

He was very surprised when she just sighed rather loudly in what he could only describe as _defeat_ while he watched her butt collapse with a thud when she dropped cross-legged onto the floor. "Orihime?"

"Chizuru's coming too." She watched his face contort into some oddly surprised expression. She could tell that was something he never expected to hear. 

In addition to that tiny bit of unexpected and surprising news, Uryuu was also not prepared for the rambling and incredibly informative burst of Hime-speak that followed.

He watched his girlfriend fiddle with her fingers as she politely looked up to speak to him. The not so casual information rolled off of her tongue as candidly as if she were reading this morning's edition of Japan Today. It spilled forth in one long massive run on sentence that was miraculously sustained by only a single breath. 

"Tatsuki-chan asked me if she could come. It's really wonderful. Tatsuki-chan just told me they've been having sex with each other for two years. Isn't that great Ury-kun? I bet she knows a whole lot of cool things to do! Oh, I know, we should ask them! Tatsuki-chan smiles big when she talks about Chizuru-chan. I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time… I'm a bad friend Ury-kun, they've been together for two years and I never knew." Orihime's face saddened, briefly before she resumed. 

"So, anyway, Tatsuki-chan wants her here today. Maybe Tatsuki-chan thinks she'll get horny. If she does then I guess it's a good thing for Chizuru-chan to be there too. And Tatsuki-chan says her Chizuru-chan is sweet, patient and reeeeeally good at sex. Anyway, I think Tatsuki-chan's in love with her. Oh, and she promised Chizuru-chan would keep her distance from me. Tatsuki-chan also said that she wouldn't leave me alone with her." Orihime finally took a breath and stared obliviously at her dumbstruck boy. 

"And Ury-kun… I just want you know that I think Tatsuki-chan used to have a crush on me, but she can't possibly now because she's in love with Chizuru-chan. Right? Isn't that how it works? And even though it would be really-really fun to have sex with two sexy twin Quincies at the same time, I'll never cheat on you Ury-kun, never! Not even with Tatsuki-chan." 

His mouth hung widely agape. "Huh?" Uryuu didn't know where to begin. He stared at his girlfriend as though monkeys dripped out of her nose. "Uh, ok… are you done Orihime? I mean is there more you want to tell me?" He watched her nod and smile. She was done. 

All of her words began to sink in and the absurdity of it all prompted monkeys to start flying out of her ears too. _'What the hell!'_

'_Why is Ury-kun looking at me like that?'_ She continued to smile up at him and was overcome with a sensation of the warm fuzzies. _'Ury-kun's so cute!'_

The fumbling Quincy really couldn't put together anything too intelligible yet. "So, if we weren't together you'd sleep with Tatsuki?" Of the million questions he had that one popped out first. _'I'm a dumbass. Why did I ask that?' _He scolded himself and chalked it up to every healthy heterosexual mans fascination with lesbians.

Orihime reacted as if her boyfriend had just asked her if she had ever worn socks. "Of course! Tatsuki-chan's wonderful, she always looks out for me, she's really sweet, she has a great body too I bet she's really good in bed, plus she's so beautiful, and she uses her powers for good and not evil." She giggled to herself over that last part, even though it really was true. 

"She's a lot like you. Don't you think Ury-kun?" She could have sworn his face turned a little greenish. She giggled out loud this time and took his reaction as a queue to never mention Tatsuki in a personally romantic sense again unless she wanted to make him change colors. 

Uryuu gave up trying to think and instead mimicked her by dropping down on the floor cross legged right next to her, their shoulders and knees touched. "So Chizuru huh? She's kind of gropey and obnoxious. I never really liked her all that much. She's always all over you Orihime. Are you sure about this?"

"If Tatsuki-chan says she'll behave, I believe her. Chizuru-chan really isn't as bad as everyone thinks she is Ury-kun. You should give her a chance, and if Tatsuki-chan really loves her maybe we'll both get another sister." Orihime smiled big at the thought.

'_Wow!'_ It didn't go unnoticed by him how her face lit up every time she talked about family. _ 'She really wants a family, a big family! Guess my bachelor hermit days are over. That'll take some getting used to.' _He continued to listen attentively. 

"Did you know she used to get beat up all they time by some older kids? Tatsuki-chan made me promise not to tell, but the reason those kids stopped picking on her was because Tatsuki-chan beat them up just like she beat up the girls who cut my hair. And I was the first person Chizuru-chan ever came out to. She said she knew I wouldn't judge her or think differently of her for being a lesbian. And after my brother died she came over to my place every night for two weeks and brought a different scary movie just to try and make me laugh." Orihime reached over and wrapped both her arms around his closest one before resting her head on his shoulder.

"I still don't like that she's always touching you Orihime. I don't like anyone going after you like that." A quiet and devious laugh escaped him. "Except me!" 

Orihime smiled at his claim. Still, she rolled her eyes before validating him. "Yup, just you my beautiful Quincy boy, I'm all yours." Orihime stretched up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before settling back down to taunt him. "You better put a lot of miles on me too!" 

Uryuu did a double take and both of his eye brows were stretched so high that they disappeared under his bangs. That was a challenge he intended to meet. _'I'll blow that one right out of the water!'_

"But you don't have to worry about Chizuru-chan being clingy anymore. I'll just ask her to stop. She told me once that she'd stop being clingy if I just asked her to. It always made her so happy and since it really didn't bother me I never asked her to. But I'll ask her now." 

"I just hope she's a good enough person to respect your request Hime-chan. She'll get hurt if she isn't!" The threatening and protective tones of his voice indicated that he was quite serious about that too.

"She's good I promise." Orihime thought for a moment. "Chizuru-chan once said the most wonderful thing to me Ury-kun. It was right after those mean girls cut off my hair." Orihime wasn't afraid of seeing Chizuru, she was just afraid of seeing anyone really, but when she remembered what Chizuru told her she was reminded just what kind of a person her crazy red-headed friend really was.

"Chizuru-chan said: Don't worry too much about it Orihime, so what if they got your hair, you'll grow it back if you want to and with no effort at all. But those girls, it'll take a lot more effort than just growing hair to fix whatever's really bothering them. And I promise Orihime, whatever's really got them acting like little bitches, well, it's not you. You aren't their problem. But, if you want to get back at them, just be yourself Orihime and show them how happy you are, because they clearly aren't." 

Soft grey eyes met tender violet ones, "See Ury-kun. She'll be just fine!" Orihime's voice began to quiver a bit, "so who else is coming?"

She tried to hide it but he could still see the anxiety in her eyes. '_Even if she'd be ok seeing Chizuru, she's just one person. One person is manageable, but a lot of people… I don't know.' _"I'm not sure Hime-chan. All Shiori-san said was, and I quote 'some Shinigami Urahara knows named Renji and some others.' So whoever's coming knows Urahara." 

Uryuu thought about his last statement for a moment then shook his head. "Well, that pretty much includes almost everyone we know so your guess is as good as mine." 

He was definitely concerned, what ever the case might be, it could possibly end up being too many people all at once. "I can cancel everything Orihime. Just tell me what you want." 

Orihime knew her friends missed her. If their situations had been reversed she would want to see her friend too. She would want to do everything she could to help her friend out. "No, don't. They just want to help."

"Besides, I don't think it'll ever really be easy for me to get better, especially if I don't try." She let go of his arm and took his hand before leaning against him. He could hear the longing, the sadness, and the apprehension in her voice. "I don't like hiding from my friends Ury-kun." 

In a forced and very uncharacteristically upbeat voice, intended to help liven the mood, Uryuu belted confidently, "Ok then, you're the boss! I guess we'll be having even more company today." He silently chastised himself for sounding like a cheesy motivational speaker.

Still, he was proud of her for trying to face her fears. That was the Inoue Orihime he'd always known. "I'll be right here with you Hime-chan. I promise no one will hurt you and everything will be on your terms, always. Just tell me what you want and I'll make sure it happens." He squeezed her hand reassuringly and kissed the top of her head. 

"I love you." He mumbled with his lips buried in her soft hair.

'_Ury-kun's the best. I can do this so long as he's with me. I know I can. I'm home now. My friends won't hurt me. I left everyone behind and they still risked their lives to rescue me. Why would they want to hurt me if they would do all that for me?'_ Orihime closed her eyes to force back the recurring flashes of Aizen, of the Espada, and the rest of the Arrancar. Most of all she fought the images that scared her the most. She struggled with the memories of her friend, the most self-less person she knew, the object of her lengthy school-girl infatuation, Kurosaki Ichigo. In her mind she watched all of them beat her, all of them use her, and on a twisted loop she watched all of them force themselves inside of her. 

The images never left. She knew the boy at her side understood everything as much as he could without having lived through it himself. He understood that just because her memories and her fears couldn't be seen and heard by everyone else that didn't mean they weren't tearing her apart inside. That's why he refused to leave her. If he left she'd carry the full weight of everything by herself and that was entirely unacceptable to him. Something about his presence, his support, and his truly unconditional love helped tame the mess of horrors in her head just enough to keep her sane. 

'_My friends won't hurt me. My friends won't hurt me. That wasn't Kurosaki-kun. Kurosaki-kun is my friend. Kurosaki-kun wouldn't hurt me. That wasn't Kurosaki-kun.' _She rocked back and forth and quietly chanted affirmations to herself. Orihime was completely unaware that she spoke just loud enough to be heard. Her words and unconscious gentle rocking caused a frightful and mounting concern to fill the boy that sat next to her as he listened. 

Her affirmations were self pleading and desperate attempts to replace the irrational feelings that begged her to stay locked up in a room and never come out. Instead she fought to replace them with what she logically knew to be the truth, her friends wouldn't ever knowingly hurt her and that was not her Kurosaki-kun who raped her. 

She let go of his hand and crawled into his lap. She liked it there. Orihime decided that it was her favorite place to be. In his lap she was surrounded by him, he was her safety net – her Quincy cocoon. She curled herself up into a ball and felt waves of tension ebb away when he enveloped her. It was a scary thing to make the decision to face your own fears. Even scarier when there was already a plan set in motion to do so. 

It felt like waiting in a long line to ride the biggest and scariest rollercoaster, even though you were deathly afraid of them. The anticipation of waiting and slowly inching closer and closer to the horrors that lay waiting were daunting. She felt like a dead man walking. Orihime could only hope that her mind was playing mean tricks on her again, and that this really would be exactly like the first time she rode a big scary roller coaster.

Turned out she loved roller coasters and all her anxiety was for nothing. 

It was definitely scary, but it could be worse. She could be doing it all alone, but he wouldn't let her. "Ury-kun, until I'm comfortable with _them_ again can we make it so it's only one _special_ person in the house at a time? Just don't leave me alone."

Tatsuki was surprised when she got to Orihime's apartment and found a small mountain of flattened and professionally bundled boxes, some markers, and a few rolls of tape sitting outside the front door. _'I guess Mom ordered those. There should be a truck coming by soon too.'_ "Go MOM!" Tatsuki shouted out to no one. _'I was wondering what were going to use to package up all of her stuff.'_

Dragging the packing supplies behind her Tatsuki used her key to let herself in before shutting the door. "Ugh I hate moving." She looked around Orihime's cute but messy little place. Orihime always kept everything nice and very sanitarily clean but never orderly and presentable"Clean slob! Today's going to suck!"

Tatsuki looked at her watch and smiled before she continued talking to herself to kill the silence. "So I called Chizzy what, about 10 minutes ago maybe. She should be here in another 15-20 minutes. That should definitely make this more fun, at least until Mom gets here and we have to pretend to just be friends." She sighed to herself. _'Well that's a downer.'_

"Oh well, still. It'll be way better with her around. Besides, I hate talking out loud to myself. Someone will hear me and think I'm nuts!" The raven-haired girl looked around the messy little apartment. "Ok Arisawa, where are we gonna start?"

Figuring that Orihime would need her personal effects first since the Sex Pistol already had all the other basics, Tatsuki grabbed a few boxes and headed to her friend's bedroom. _'Clothes, she definitely needs her clothes. Even as cute as she looks in them, she can't keep wearing his stuff.'_

Tatsuki was busy packing. She was completely preoccupied, still reeling in the memories of last night's activities with her Pervy-chan. On top of that she kept pensively recalling and analyzing key pieces of her recent conversation with Orihime. '_Orihime you're the best, best friend-friend-friend-friend ever!'_ Tatsuki couldn't stress _friend _enough. _'I can't believe she made that so easy. It really is Chizzy, just Chizzy. She's the one I want!'_

Tatsuki felt like the vise-grip that had been squeezing at her heart had just disintegrated. The name of that vise-grip - Orihime_. 'I love you Orihime, I really do. I can't ever imagine my life without you. I'm just not in love with you… anymore.'_ Now there was only one girl in that lived in her heart. 

She was so consumed with her own thoughts and apparently so used to the warm and comforting feel of Chizuru's aura that she mistook the slight tingling sensation she felt as a mere side effect of her current state of happiness. The Quincy didn't recognize the feeling of Chizuru being near, nor did she hear the girl knock on the front door. 

Chizuru decided to let herself in, since the door was unlocked. She headed toward the noise of things being shuffled around in Orihime's bedroom. "Hey Babe, I knocked but…" 

Tatsuki was caught unusually off guard. Her heart rate shot up as she jumped two feet into the air and turned around landing in full attack stance. Between deep breaths she tried to slow her racing heart. "Damnit, Chizzy! Don't sneak up on people like that." The jumpy warrior straightened up and rolled her eyes as she watched her little pervert laugh her ass off.

Chizuru was laughing so hard she could barely breathe but the opportunity to pick on the other girl was just too ripe. "You know, for someone who can kick the asses of more than half of Japan's citizens without even breaking a sweat, you sure are skittish." She couldn't pass up the chance to taunt her cocky champ. "I can see it now; Japan Today's headlines will read: World renowned karate champion fears for her life against an unbelievably hot and unarmed fru-fru girl wearing a dress and sandals!" 

Tatsuki fought to hold back her laughter. It leaked out in the form of an strained and amused grin that refused to be denied. This moment of weakness did not go unnoticed by the loony little fru-fru who laughed even harder as a result. 

Quickly the proud champ feigned an annoyed snarl to try and regain her edgy and cool composure. She was completely unprepared for what happened next. All the powers that be seemed to conspire against her at once in a rather painful kind of epiphany that seemed to last way too long but in reality lasted no more than a second. Even though that fleeting second completely escaped the red-head's attention, the consequences of it landed right on her.

Tatsuki stood, unable to move as she watched. She didn't see the creative pervert that found new and sometimes freakishly scary ways to make her body sing. She didn't see the supple physique she craved or the skilled fingers that could fondle her to state of pure arousal. She didn't see any of _those_ things, the very things she had so sinfully indulged in over the past two years. 

Instead, in a fraction of a second, Tatsuki saw and felt everything she'd fought so hard to overlook and deny about Chizuru and their relationship. She saw a rare silly kind of mirth in the other girl, a warm kindness, genuine compassion, a strong will, and so much more. She saw a place where she was wanted; a home where only she belonged. _'God she's beautiful.' _

Tatsuki felt her heart ache with a desperate longing. It was a physically painful sense of rapture. The weight of the feelings that she'd spent two years burying - two years denying. They all forcibly demanded acceptance at once as they gripped at her. The weight was so crushing she could barely breathe. _'So much denied for too long.' _

Despite years of trying to maintain a safely detached distance, the enraptured champ knew her girl, every curve, every sound, every taste, and smell. She knew her past, her fears, and her dreams, her sneaky little tricks, and all her favorite things. Hell, she could walk into a store and buy Chizuru's favorite color nail polish. _'I know where you hide.'_ She could even tell how the crazy little spit-fire was feeling by the rhythm and expanse of her breathing. _'I know all of the things that make you who you are.' _

She began to suffocate. _'Hurt… can't breathe.'_ She rubbed frantically at her chest to help ease the overwhelming pressure.

Before Chizuru knew what hit her, two warm palms grabbed her face as their fingers buried themselves in her hair. A hard body pinned her aggressively against the bedroom wall. She felt a hungry thigh dig demandingly at her center. It felt like her soul was being sucked deliciously out of her by way of a completely unexpected, exquisitely searing, and intensely passionate kiss. The shocked red-head didn't know what had gotten into her spikey haired hell-cat and by the gods she didn't care! She didn't want it to stop… ever!

Tatsuki had never kissed her like this before. 

The moment Tatsuki's lips met Chizuru's the pain in her chest began to ease and she knew she'd made the right choice – chosen to love the right girl. The harder she kissed her own special girl, the faster the agony of everything she'd denied herself over the past two years began to subside. _'This is the way a girl like you is supposed to be kissed Chizzy.'_ Tatsuki swore she'd never hold back again. 

When the kiss ended both girls were gasping for air. Tatsuki kept the other girl pinned against the wall and pressed their foreheads together. The pain was gone but the heavy bursting sensation in her chest remained. Between the lingering remnants of her rapture and watching the mixture of euphoria and confusion that etched across her Pervy-chan's face, Tatsuki met her girl eye-for-eye and just beamed knowingly. She smiled so big her face hurt, but she just couldn't stop.

Chizuru felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her in the best way possible. _'That was amazing!'_ She looked into her attackers dancing eyes. "Wow!" she exclaimed while she brushed her thumb softly over Tatsuki's lips. "What was that for?"

Still grinning wider than a Cheshire cat, Tatsuki replied coolly, "I just missed you."

The green-eyed girl glared in knowing suspicion. She placed a quick kiss on her liar's lips, still puffy and red from its previous exploit. "You're full of crap babe, something else is up!" Still she grinned contently. "But after a kiss like that I won't argue with you!" She hoped it wouldn't be the last kiss of its kind, and something about the way Tatsuki was staring at her told her that it wouldn't be.

"Yeah fucking no kidding!" A crass husky voice sounded from inside the room. "That was the sweetest live action I've ever seen in awhile. So, what hell's up with that?"

In shock Tatsuki spun around and took up a protective stance in front of Chizuru. He heart was pounding wildly in her chest. For the second time that day she was caught completely off guard. _'What the hell is wrong with me today?' _

There was no danger. "God damnit Renji!" She relaxed her stance and shifted to stand beside a very bewildered Chizuru before laying into the tattooed Shinigami. "What the hell are you doing here and how long have you been sitting there preparing for your lonely life as a dirty old man?" 

Of all the strange new people Tatsuki had met over the past several weeks. Renji was by far her favorite. Not only was he fun to hang out with, he was also teaching her how to become a much more effective fighter. Plus, they both enjoyed making other people squirm and they were both smart asses who thoroughly enjoyed flinging insults back and forth at one another.

He smiled like the bratty little trouble maker he was and flashed his prize winning toothy grin. "I saw the whole thing. I suppose if I had just kept quite a little longer I could have seen a lot more action, ne? "

Chizuru wasn't expecting Tatsuki to jump off of her as if a dog suddenly bit her in the ass. Not after a kiss like that. If anything she wanted the girl to come in closer instead of pulling away to stand next to her. _'What? Who the hell is she talking too?'_ She watched an odd scene unfold. Tatsuki seemed to be talking to some invisible person. 

At first she thought the girl might be loosing it, but then she remembered everything Tatsuki told her last night. _'Ok…. So she can see and hear things I can't. That really is just kind of creepy.'_ Chizuru reached out for Tatsuki's hand but missed it just barely as she watched her ghost whispering karate girl charge across the room.

Renji decided to stand still and not dodge her predictable attempt to knock him to the ground. His back slammed hard against the floor as he came crashing down under her force. All he could do was laugh as at the girl who strattled him and pinned to the bedroom floor. "Awe, look how cute you are. That shade of red looks good on you Tatsuki-chan."

Renji stood up with ease and watched his friend amusedly tumble off of him only to fall flat on her own ass this time. The girl immediately jumped right back to her feet. "Seriously though, that was hot! Where did you learn to kiss like that? And I didn't know you liked girls."

Chizuru stood near the bedroom door in disbelief. _'There is no way someone can move around like that by themselves.'_ Though she never doubted what Tatsuki told her, it was a completely different thing to actually watch the very convincing rumble that seemed to play out between her girl and some other very real albeit invisible person. 

Tatsuki was still a bit embarrassed about being both caught in an intimate moment and then landing flat on her ass in front of her Chizuru. She unintentionally took it out on her friend. Her voice held a hostile edge as she sternly corrected Renji. "I don't like _girls_ you Baboon worshipping jackass. I just like _that_ girl!" She pointed across the room at the still speechless Chizuru. 

Two sets of eyes followed Tatsuki's pointed finger and landed on feminine red-head. 

'_She said she likes me! She's never… ever… acknowledged that out loud before.'_ Chizuru completely forgot about the invisible person. She was so happy she charged her Suki-chan and tackle-hugged her to the ground before slamming their lips together once more.

Renji just stood there watching. Despite how arousing it was to watch two cute girls go at it, all he did was scratch his head. _ 'Poor little Arisawa's got too much of an alpha dog battle complex to be happy about being knocked on her ass, again.' _He couldn't wait to watch the fallout. He wanted to see his little buddy get all flushed and bent out of shape again. _'Hey, wait, that's the chick from school who's always grabbing on Orihime.'_

More than a minute passed and his shoulders dropped in disappointment. _'They aren't letting up!'_ The eager little guy between his legs stood at full salute when he realized that Tatsuki had no intention of making the other girl stop her assault. _'Dammit! That bites!'_ Despite any good intention he might have, he knew that this little scene between the two girls on the floor would probably keep him warm at night for weeks to come.

Renji cleared his throat… loudly. He wanted to make sure he was heard, the _first_ time. He was quite relieved when they stopped kissing and even more relieved when he saw Tatsuki's apologetic face peak out from underneath the other girl.

Chizuru sighed in disappointment when the kiss ended. And on instinct she followed the direction of her Suki-chan's gaze. "Opps, I'm sorry Tatsuki I forgot we weren't alone." It was Chizzy's turn to look apologetic as she stood up and straightened out her clothes before offering a hand to help her champ up.

Though it wasn't necessary, Tatsuki took the other girl's hand and let her pull her back to her feet. "Uh, Chizzy, this is Renji." She pointed in his direction. "He's a friend of mine. One of those Shinigami guys I told you about last night."

Renji just raised an eyebrow. He knew the girl couldn't see him. Still it surprised him that Tatsuki seemed to like this girl well enough to tell her about everything. That was all he needed to know to conclude that Tatsuki wasn't just messing around. Well that and how relaxed and apparently intimate they were with one another. In fact, if he had to guess he'd say that they'd probably been going out for awhile.

Chizuru looked confused and laced her fingers with Tatsuki's. "Uh babe, you know I can't see him right?" Chizuru couldn't help but smile at the cute and wayward expression on Tatsuki's face which told her that her blushing warrior had completely forgotten all about that minor little detail.

Tatsuki watched Renji jump out of the window as she heard him holler, "I'll be right back."

Tatsuki liked the way it felt to hold Chiz's hand. It was something she rarely allowed herself to do. "Sorry about all that. Renji's gone, but he'll be right back." She idly ran a finger back and forth between the waistband of Chizuru's skirt and soft skin of her midriff. "You'll be able to see him then."

"Gigai right?" Chizuru watched Tatsuki smile softly in surprise. _'So beautiful.'_ She thought as she smiled back and silently praised herself for remembering the new vocabulary. 

'_There must be something in the air.'_ The few inches that separated them were driving Chizuru mad. She pulled Tatsuki in and just stood there, holding her in a comfortable hug. She was surprised when the other girl returned the gesture without putting up her usual distant front and just relaxed in her arms. She liked the way her usually moody and gruff warrior girl had been acting since last night. She couldn't help but wonder though…_'what's gotten into her today?'_ Chizuru didn't want that to end either.

They stood there in silence and enjoyed the always unacknowledged serene comfort they felt when they were together in hushed closeness.

They enjoyed the moment till they heard the front door open and slam loudly shut. Renji's voice echoed through the tiny place. "Ohio! You both better be decent. If I get another boner I'm gonna be pissed off!"

Chizuru's face perked up and Tatsuki growled in disgust. "Shut the hell up Renji that's disgusting." The raven-haired girl watched the amusement dance across her Pervy-chan's face. She rolled her eyes and smiled knowingly. _'Of course she's going to like Renji if he says pervy crap like that.' _It was kind of an unnerving thought. _'Neither one of them has any shame.'_

Two pairs of eyes watched as Chizuru's nearly popped out of her head when she first saw the formerly phantom death god in all his hippie clad gigai glory. "You're Renji!... Damn you're hot! Nowhere near as hot a Tatsuki, but hell… I'd do you if I did boys."

Another stroke to Renji's ego. _'Damn what a morning! Wait a minute…'_ He looked inquisitively at the other red-head, he decided he liked her and hoped that Tatsuki would bring her around more. "What the hell do you mean nowhere near as hot as Tatsuki?" He puffed out his chest and brought his arms up for a nice flexing pose. "No way is she hotter than me!"

"Hmph…" Chizuru laughed and rolled her eyes as she mentally sized Renji's personality up and stepped in just close enough to teasingly graze against his body with her own. "Yes-yes, those are impressive." She said as she licked her lips and pressed the warm palms of her hands against the sides of his neck. She slowly let them slide down to follow the teasing trail of his tribal markings till they disappeared under his tightly stretched cotton shirt.

Tatsuki tried hard not to laugh. _'Renji you poor bastard, you deserve this!'_ She knew exactly what Chizuru was doing. _'God she's hot!' _

She loved watching Chizuru tease the hell out of people. She really only got to witness the girl go all out when they were away, usually out of town for a tournament. It was a twisted little thrill they both enjoyed, and the victims were usually unsuspecting vendors at the mall who had something Chizuru wanted for free or stupid little boys who insisted upon loudly voicing lewd and objectifying comments about the girls around them. Occasionally these little teasing conquests Chizuru embarked upon would require a body guard. Tatsuki recalled having to knock a few heads around over the past two years. _'That girl can be a handful sometimes.' _

Every time she watched the other girl mercilessly cause some poor bastard to go insane with desire Tatsuki felt some strange sense of pride and proprietorship built up inside of her. _'How the hell is she mine?' _

'_He will know his place!' _Chizuru bore her eyes into him hungrily. This was a fun game for her to play. She could feel the heat begin to radiate off of his body as it stiffened and grew tense against his will. She continued to explore and feel the contours of his forthrightly displayed and well defined chest through the confines of the stretched cotton of his shirt_. 'He may be an alpha dog bad ass warrior but sex is mightier than the sword and this boy is way the hell out of his league!' _ She grinned sardonically._ 'This little bitch is mine!'_

She kept her face cast slightly downward as she looked up and seductively took and captively held his gaze. This was the very look and the sole reason the uppermost part of her eye glass frames were always rimless. Her warm breath brushed over the exposed skin above his collar. With a sultry coo she delicately ran her fingers nails across his scalp, "the red hair is pretty sexy too."

Renji had long since lost the ability to think straight. He wasn't thinking about where he was and he wasn't thinking about whom else was with him. His whole body tingled, his blood flowed to one destination, and his pants continued to grow increasingly tight. He couldn't move and he didn't want to. 

Tatsuki was biting her bottom lip so hard to keep from laughing, she expected to draw blood. The look on Renji's face was priceless. _'That dumbass couldn't handle her even if he could land her!'_

Chizuru never waivered, she kept his gaze, she leaned just hard enough into him to leave him wanting more. Her nimble wiggling fingers continued to massage his _higher_ head. She waited patiently for him to cue her forward. Again she licked her lips before taking in a deep yearning breath. Any normal person would take that as the sign to go in for the kill, and Renji was no different.

Both girls watched amusedly as the cocky Shinigami's eyes drifted languidly shut, his lips puckered a bit, and he leaned into kiss the girl that dared him.

He was stunned, completely bewildered, when he felt both of her hands push into his chest with just enough pressure to force his eyes open and cause him to step back once to maintain his balance.

Chizuru smiled wildly and spun around on one foot before landing behind Tatsuki. She wrapped her arms possessively around her raven haired beauty's shoulders and pulled her back tightly against her own body. 

"Yes…" she watched his eyes go wide while he shook his head from side-to-side attempting to regain his faculties, "you Mr. Shinigami are drop dead sexy." Chizuru positioned her arms to briefly display the girl in front of her before encasing her once more, "but this... this is tops. There's nothing hotter than her." She stuck her tongue out teasingly. "Not even you."

Tatsuki leaned into her girl and blushed furiously. She brought her arms up to hang loosely from her Pervy-chan's possessive hold. Then suddenly the raven-haired girl felt bad for her friend. And even though she couldn't keep from smiling she mouthed a sincere apology in Renji's direction.

"Besides," Chizuru continued, "her chest is way more fun that yours!"

His eyes rolled up in thought as he considered that last statement. "Well you do have a point there but damn woman that was wrong!" He glared menacingly and watched both girls smile back at him. If he didn't like Tatsuki as much as he did and if he hadn't pulled little stunts similar to that himself at least once or twice he might have been a pissed off. 

Renji's elevated pride had been momentarily flattened. _'All's fair I guess. Hell, that girl is just unnatural.' _He was impressed. 

'_She got me good.'_ He shifted around a bit and decided he really missed his loose and flowing Shinigami robes. _'Yeah, she's real damn good!'_ He couldn't help but wonder just how good the little succubus was giving it to his blushing little friend. Suddenly he was acutely aware of his growing jealously toward Tatsuki. _'What the hell, that little punk is getting laid and who the hell knows how often. And, all I have going for me are a bunch of nudey pics that little fairy bitch Yumi took of me and posted online.'_

Out of nowhere Tatsuki saw him wink approvingly at her right before he huffed out a very unconvincing, "Arisawa, I hate you and your little girlfriend too."

Both girls just giggled.

"You deserved it Renji, you pompous inked up zookeeper." Tatsuki couldn't get over the fact that his Zanpakuto was a baboon. It was her favorite thing to tease him about. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

He dropped down onto the bed in defeat. "Same as you pipsqueak, I'm helping Orihime move. Some more people will be by later so we can get it all done today." He watched her face turn a few shades paler. He was surprised she didn't already know about all of this. "Didn't your mom tell you? She set the whole thing up." 

Tatsuki was filled with a foreboding sense of all hell breaking loose. "FUCK! Orihime's going to hate this and Uryuu will probably end up killing someone just for upsetting her."

Chizuru didn't know why everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells over Orihime, but she didn't like how tense the girl in her arms suddenly became.

"Huh?" Renji looked confused. "What are you talking about? I talked to both of them on the phone before I jumped into the window and watched you shove your tongue down her throat." He pointed at the clever little succubus and waggled his eyebrows playfully before continuing. "They said it was all good so long as only one person was in the apartment with them, you know, aside from you and your mom and any other people Orihime's already fine with." 

Chizuru grew more confused by the second. _ 'What's up with Orihime?' _Now she was more worried than confused.

"Are sure about that Renji?" Tatsuki forced herself to relax when his head nodded in confirmation. "Ok then, I guess we should get started then?"

Renji made an old man sound as he stood up from the bed. "Hai, good idea. Let's get this done with." He paused for a moment and turned toward the couple who still stood in place. _'Well aren't they just fucking cute, heh.' _

"By the way, congratulations Arisawa, maybe now it'll be more fun to kick your ass." He could tell she was about to ask what the hell he was talking about, yet again. Renji just smiled and cut her off before she even began. 

He raised his left hand in the air and wiggled it around. "I felt a new… and well a damn strong reiatsu in the air earlier this morning. It felt Quincy-ish but I wasn't sure. I didn't know where it was coming from." 

He didn't want to step out of line. Renji studied Chizuru's reactions and posture; he could tell that this wasn't news to her. "So, you going to tell me what happened. You were just an average pain in my ass two days ago when I last saw you, now you're an over sexed-super powered Quincy with a girlfriend."

His implied reference to their relationship didn't go unnoticed by either girl. 

This was the second time he referred to them as a legitimate and titled couple. The first time sent Chizuru's heart pounding, only to be followed with a stinging disappointment when Tatsuki either missed it or chose to ignore it. This time it was exactly the same.

"First of all I was never an average pain in the ass you numbskull. Secondly, she beamed proudly; I was just as over sexed two days ago. Thirdly, her voice evened out, I'll tell you all about the Quincy stuff while we pack." The instant Tatsuki stopped talking she felt like something heavy had just punched her in the chest. She realized it was Chizuru's energy, and she knew exactly what had caused her Pervy-chan to feel that way. _'This is just not a good time Chizzy.'_

Tatsuki turned around forcing the girl behind to her drop her protective hold. Her final reservation had been demolished. She wondered if Chizuru really loved her, and now she knew. 

Ignoring the still aroused Shinigami that was in the room; Tatsuki leaned in and kissed Chizuru softly. "Please Chizzy I know you're upset, but don't be." She whispered into the other girl's ear. "We'll talk about it later, I promise." She nibbled on the inviting ear. "But I'm happier now than I've ever been and I blame you for all of it Pervy-chan."

When Tatsuki pulled back the gloomy feeling was gone. Chizuru was smiling back at her.

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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**Hey I made a website… WOOT! Check it out. Linked on my profile. **

**I have some pictures and things up on my site that might help people see the main characters in a similar way that I do.**

Updates seem to be running at 1-2 weeks these days. It depends mostly on work.

_Thanks to those who continue reading. Please review, I really do rely on the reviews for valuable insight. I fix things and they help me determine certain undefined and future aspects of the story. _


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

OK so I wrote lemony substance rather than Orihime facing her fears, but for those of you who feel the story is dragging – my apologies, it's not a short story so I guess a bit a drag is bound to happen. Although I've no regrets, I decided I like what I've done to my main characters. I love them so much I'd shamelessly fuck all of them! Heh heh…. (IshiHime,TatChiz)

This chapter does move at a faster pace and the lemon is there for those of you disappointed that this is an M rated IshiHime fic without all that much M'iness. I hope it turned out ok.

The balance of nature/energy stuff is the theme for the whole story, so I also hope I was able to explain that stuff well enough too.

Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy.

Thanks to Megame Kitty for acting as wonderful beta for most of this chapter. Beta changes were entered in 4-1-08, after the chapter was initially posted.

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**Chapter Edit History**

3-31-08 spelling, grammar, little stuff

4-1-08 made changes based on reader feedback, nothing to warrant a re-read of anything

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**Chapter Summary**

Uryuu has been receiving visits from the part of Orihime who resurrected Urahara from the dead. She comes bearing cryptic messages about energy and the balance of nature. Orihime likes to tease her Quincy, but she's a good girl and more than makes up for it. I guess it's lemony.

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**CHAPTER****14**

There was really nothing to do but sit around and wait till Tatsuki returned with Orihime's stuff, so to help pass the time Uryuu just sat on the floor and rested against the wall, next to the front door. He unabashedly ogled at his girl from across the room as she cleaned up the kitchen.

Outwardly he was the perfect picture of composure, inside he was bubbling with impatience._ 'Grrr, why does she insist on cleaning the kitchen now!'_

He spent his whole life as a loner, trying to excel at everything he did. Until this weekend, until Orihime, having fun and playing were just concepts, words in a dictionary that applied to other people but not to him. The bouncy princess buzzing about the kitchen was everything he'd been missing out on in life. She was his smile, his laughter, his fun, and his pleasure and yet she insisted upon cleaning the kitchen instead of playing with him. Well, that wasn't entirely true… she was still playing.

For the first time in his life he actually felt the need to pout. The desire was so strong he had to fight to make sure it didn't actually happen_. 'Hmph… only you Orihime!'_

He shook his head. _'She's a merciless tease!' _He thought. _'No one drops stuff that much on the kitchen floor and wags their ass in the air every time they bend over. I don't even think I own that many chopsticks.'_ With a goofy grin he mentally shrugged his shoulders. The Quincy boy was certain his wonderful girl loved being watched by him as much as he couldn't resist the temptation to watch her.

Uryuu wished he could say that he was only watching her so intently to satisfy his inner letch, but he couldn't. He was waiting for Orihime to be _weird _again. If it weren't for Orihime's brief and recurring lapses into her other state of awareness, which he was now dead certain was some hidden part of her mind that was much more in-touch with who she really was, he could at least pretend - for the time being - that nothing was wrong. He could pretend that he was just a boy and she was just a very energetic and sexually charged girl and every thing was perfect. Instead, he literally did not know what to expect from one minute to the next with her and he just decided to stay on-guard and be prepared for anything.

One moment she would be the sweet scared girl who was just happy to be in love and desired only to put her daily life back together the way it was before, this was the only side of her he understood. The next moment she might be the crazed sex goddess hell bent on making all of his most intimate fantasies come true in only 24 hours, this was wearing him out but he wouldn't trade it for anything. But the most notable was when she went _weird_. Better yet, this is when she lapsed into the part of her mind that protected her from the full wrath of Aizen's perversions. This weird girl was strange but at the same time she was still very much Orihime only much more in touch with sleeping deity locked away in her mind.

It was intimidating to actually be reminded that he was having an very personal relationship with someone who might merely sneeze and accidentally wipe an entire galaxy out of existence.

So, he continued sate his inner letch by ogling at his pretty girl while he waited patiently for her to lapse into the weird girl again. Though unpredictable, her lapses were becoming more and more frequent. It was only a matter of time before it happened again.

It was always the same. She would turn to him, this weirder version of Orihime, the very same one who brought Urahara back from the dead, and by her presence and stature alone she'd command his undivided attention. Her posture would straighten and her shoulders would pull back. For a few seconds, there was nothing childlike or silly about her. Always he watched as her expression turned stoic and those soft mirth filled eyes darkened with an ethereal awareness that had been mistaken by the others who had met her for a vacant void. Aside from the fact that she called him Ury-kun, he knew this was the same _person, _the one he preferred to call Orihime, the one whom he was meant to be with.

'_Who in their right mind wouldn't tremble in the presence of a true god?'_ The first couple of times he was surprised by her presence and it was only after she'd left and his Orihime had remerged that he wondered if he should have been scared. But he was never scared. Confused, humbled, and a myriad of other emotions, but never scared - quite the opposite actually. This stranger side of Orihime was clearly much more in-tune with her true power. And even though he was certain this odd and powerful version of his girlfriend was still not the fully aware embodiment of the actual deity, he could feel her power and it was far beyond anything he could possibly imagine.

Surprisingly, there was some part of him that preferred her presence over the Orihime that he'd always known. When she appeared he could feel the energy in him stir wildly. It was almost as if he were a dog that had been waiting at the door all day for his master to come home. As soon as she appeared he felt that inner dog wildly thrash around inside of him, her presence filled with him an uncontrollable sense of happiness, excitement, contentment, and relief. She filled him with an absolute sense of belonging and an unrestrictive sense of benevolence and love.

When she came she always spoke slowly and clearly, like a patient adult trying to break through to the underdeveloped mind of a child. Despite the care she tried to take when talking to him, he didn't understand why her simple and commonly uttered phrases should matter so much. Most of what she said he could find in his school books or maybe even in a fortune cookie.

Since last night Orihime had lapsed over to her weirder more aware self six times. In total, he'd been in the presence of a knowing deity, or at least a part of Orihime who was a little more clued into the big picture, for less than 30 seconds. The visits never lasted long and just like before, Orihime didn't even seem to be aware of her lapses at all. Uryuu decided this state of oblivion was clearly intentional and he felt he should heed The Heart's choice to keep the consciousness of the vessel and the deity separate. If he had to guess, he'd also say that her visits only lasted a few seconds at a time so that his Orihime wouldn't sense or detect any missing gaps of time that she couldn't account for. In any case he thought Orihime was dead on last night! All of her conclusions about why she can't remember who she was seemed to be right.

Uryuu wasn't aware of the lapse Orihime had earlier that morning while talking with Tatsuki in the bathroom._ … "Don't fear love Tatsuki-chan. Trust me, there's nothing more powerful. Take me for instance, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I know love will fix it. Love will save everyone." Orihime's eyes glassed over briefly, "Ury-kun will save everyone."…_

His mind was blazing in thought while he continued to sit on the floor and watch the silly girl he would someday marry as she flamboyantly dropped chopstick after chopstick and sported one silly little pose after another. _'She's not even trying to make it look like an accident.' _He couldn't help but laugh and her intentional and very goofy efforts to tease him. It was working of course. _'I swear she's determined to keep me in a constant state of arousal!.. But look how happy she is. She's having so much fun.' _

As he watched her perform this silly private little show just for him, he idly pet himself in an effort to tame some of the pressure she was causing. It no longer embarrassed him to casually commit such a blatantly sexual act in front of her.

As hard as he tried though, he couldn't keep his mind off of the lessons Orihime gave him when she lapsed into her more cosmically aware state. _'Lessons? Why lessons? Preparations maybe? Why is she telling me this stuff?'_ The more he thought about it the more her short appearances did actually seem like short school lectures that he was somehow supposed to benefit from. This only confused him more as he mulled over her words. All of them from each of the six times she'd appeared since last night…

1

1

…"The sum balance of all of nature is the only thing that truly matters, Ury-kun."

1

1

…"Balance is achieved only through the principles that define the

Law of Opposites. One faction is no more or less important than

another. Excluding self-sustaining energy and myself, it is

impossible for anything to exist without its opposite also existing,

Ury-kun."

1

1

…"Never choose the balance of a portion of nature over the balance

of the whole of nature, Ury-kun."

1

1

…"There are only three self-sustaining sources of energy, all other

energy, including myself, will always remain fluid and constant

state of flux in order to maintain the balance of the whole,

Ury-kun."

1

1

…"Self sustaining energy is neutral energy. It will always remain

independent and in perfect balance regardless of all possible

variables, Ury-kun."

1

1

…"If the balance of nature fails, only those who are self-sustaining

will remain, Ury-kun."

1

1

He searched through the files of information in his head trying to recall the Law of Opposites. From what he could remember it was similar to what she said, nothing exists without its opposite. He also remembered that concepts are usually defined and understood only when weighed against their opposites.

Uryuu seldom actually enjoyed school, but he remembered one particular lesson that held his full attention. The sensei said, "in order to understand the definition of happiness it seems one must know sadness as well. Likewise one cannot know what joy pleasure can bring without first understanding pain. This Law of Opposites is the foundation of the balance of nature."

What he didn't understand was the three-self sustaining sources of energy. _'Neutral energy she called it.'_ The three things she said did not have an opposite and could exist independently of all else. He knew that The First, the one who had created the infinite array of universes and The Heart's that made up each of those universes, was one of those self-sustaining neutral sources of energy. But he had no idea what the other two sources were.

So no, he didn't fear her presence, but her strange appearances and _lessons_ did make him think, she confused him, but worst of all she made him fear for Orihime's welfare. Though her unique presence filled him with a brief sense of rapture, the aftermath of Orihime's lapses always filled him with quite the opposite. In her proximity he felt much more in-tune with his own powers. As a result he saw things, strange and all-consuming massive amounts of energy, every where, within her and thrashing about her. He couldn't quite figure it out or explain any of it, but between those daunting visions of wild energy and feeling like he was being prepped for some phantom task he always felt a strong foreboding sense of terror in her wake, and each time it chilled him to his core.

He was so lost in thought he hadn't noticed that Orihime was finished cleaning the kitchen.

The girl was highly amused at her Quincy's current state. While she was pleased that she'd managed to tease him not only enough to get him hard, she was even more pleased that she'd teased him enough to get him to openly pet himself.

She waived her hand in front of his responselesss face. _'He's a million miles away. What's he thinking about?' _ Orihime wanted to snap his attention back to her. She'd cleaned the kitchen now it was time to play! She would have let him finish his musings, but it was obvious he'd been patiently waiting for her to finish cleaning up. _'Ury-kun wants to play too, I know he does!' _

'_Come play with me Ury-kun.'_ She bent down to cup his swollen bulge and watched his eyes snap back onto her the instant she touched him. A smile spread across his face his beautiful face. She giggled. _'Yup, Ury-kun wants to play too.'_ Her mouth watered. Orihime felt like she could never get enough of him.

She liked teasing him, relentlessly challenging his 'Mr.-goody-two shoes' resolve. She enjoyed making him hers but she really didn't want to be in control and since last night she just couldn't shake the feeling that there wasn't enough time to take things slowly. As much as she loved the gentle and sweet side of him that no one else would ever know about, she craved the unyielding fighting Quincy. She wanted the bad boy she met in the Sereitei, the sexy boy warrior whose cocky arrogance and demanding attitude had always secretly made her swoon despite her crush on Ichigo.

Orihime wanted to be used; she wanted to feel owned by the boy who loved her. Just by him and no one else. She craved his dominance and would willingly subject herself to his objectification. She knew that no matter how far she could convince him to take things, being with him would never be anything at all like Las Noches.

_'__It's not just for you Ury-kun, it's what I want too.'_ She sighed quietly to herself._ 'How can I make him understand?' _She watched the lust build up in him. _'Hm… unless we're already naked there's not much we can do like this.'_ She motioned for him to stand up while she continued to massage his growing hard-on through the loose fitting sweat pants she'd picked out for him to wear this morning.

Orihime took a step closer, she bit her bottom lip and looked up into his eyes. The air that filled the shallow space between them grew hot as she continued to fondle him. _'He's always holding back. He always thinks he's going to make me feel some way I don't want to feel.'_ As she continued to chew on her lip a moment, she finally decided she needed him to get over his out dated ideas of 'appropriate' sexual behavior and his very understandable fear of hurting her.

He sighed in disappointment when he felt her hand drop. "That felt good Orihime, why'd you stop?" When he looked down to meet her gaze he also saw lust, her desire, and something else. _ 'What's going on in that pretty little head of hers? If she needs to talk about something, I need to go to the bathroom and take care of this.' _He shook his head to clear the haziness._ ' I can't think of anything except burrowing into her right now.' _

"Orihime? Is everything ok? What's wrong?" He brushed away her bangs and played with the hair that hung loosely to frame her face. "We don't _have_ to do it just because I'm hard." Smiling kindly he tried to lighten the mood. He meant it every word too; his needs would never come before hers. "I'm always hard when you're around." As he watched the cloudiness in her eyes instantly dissipate, he almost felt as if he'd said something wrong. Instead of looking more at ease, she looked even uncharacteristically serious.

"Yes we do Ury-kun!" The stern resolve in her voice surprised them both. "I mean, I mean I want to." An unsuspecting blush crossed her face. "I always want to take care of you Ury-kun, no matter what; I want to make you happy for as long as I can."

The girl paused for a moment then decided to jump in head first. "I want _you_ to make _me_ happy too Ury-kun, but you won't listen to me when I tell you what I want… I already told you that you won't hurt me." Brazenly she made her play. "Tell me what to do Ury-kun. I won't touch you till you tell me what you want." A tiny scowl twisted on her face. "And don't be sweet about it either!"

He was taken back, on more than one account. "Huh…Orihime?" But, more than anything else it was her accusation that bothered him the most. '_What does she mean I don't listen to her?'_ Uryuu thought back, it seemed that in one way or another Orihime had been making the same repeated request of him since the night they first kissed. He felt like he had let her down, and she was the one person he never wanted to let down or disappoint. _'She's right.' _

Orihime was determined kill the prudish ogre that controlled her undercover god as she stood firm and watched his stance waiver a bit as he dissected her words.

"You want me to be mean to you?" He surprised himself when he felt his cock harden a bit. The Quincy boy would never do anything to ever actually hurt his girl, but he could remember more than a dozen fantasies he'd had over the years where Orihime was less than a good little girl and he was anything but sweet.

Long ago he'd decided that those kinds of things, the bold and perverse thoughts that boys often indulged in, were strictly fantasies and could never be anything but. '_Stuff like that doesn't really happen. Does it?... Can she really want that?' _A chill ran down his spine. He felt creepy and dirty but aroused at the same time.

Orihime's lip curled up a little. "Not mean Ury-kun, never mean." She smiled craftily. "But firm… very-very firm. And bossy, yes bossy is good too." Her crafty smile turned outright lascivious. "And dirty. Yes, a very dirty Ury-kun!" She said emphatically.

He watched as she talked rapidly to his surprise, the faster she spoke the more she seemed to work herself up into some odd self-induced and aroused frenzy. _'She's getting off on the idea of me controlling her and making her do things.' _He couldn't deny his own arousal; it was starting to become painful the more he thought about it.

She was so excited, to the point that she felt herself getting wet. "Make me the same naughty girl you said you've been jacking off to for years. That's what I want."

This whole conversation was driving him insane. The bulge in his pants started to throb but Orihime was dead set on not touching him unless he played along. _'Argh! She won't touch me but apparently she can tease me.'_ He watched her suggestively run a finger over her lips and occasionally dip it into her waiting mouth. _'Fine, she wants to play dirty, I can play dirty!'_ He swallowed hard as his false confidence waivered. _'Uh, I'll try anyway.'_

He placed his palms on her neck and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Orihime…"

"Hn?" She gazed at him like as innocently as a clueless child, but in her head she was doing the happy little Orihime dance. _'This is it. Ury-kun's gonna fuck me! I get to play with dirty Ury-kun!'_ She knew she would get what she wanted, eventually. It was cute watching him crack. _'I want to play with dirty Ury-kun!' _She giggled._ "Heh heh, come play with me dirty Ury-kun.'_

Uryuu held her gaze as his hands slid from her exposed neck to rest on her shoulders. "I really do love you."

Orihime was disappointed. _'that's not a dirty Ury-kun.'_ Nevertheless, the conviction in his voice and the ferocity of his aura took her breath away. "Ury-kun…" She went to step forward and wrap her arms around him, but he wouldn't let her move. She felt his hands clamp forcefully down on her shoulders causing her knees buckle under the brutish pressure.

He forced a decisive expression and a stern tone. "I've been waiting since we got out of the shower to take… to fuck you again Hime-chan. I'm tired of waiting." He continued to press down on her shoulders until she collapsed onto her knees. He looked down on her startled expression. "Put my dick in your mouth Orihime." A strange rush started to fill him, and suddenly his expression and tone weren't so forced anymore. "I've wanted to bury my cock in your mouth for years." He spoke with growing resolve.

From the unique vantage point that being on her knees afforded her, Orihime looked with disbelief up into his eyes. _'He just… did he just…?' _There was a playful yet serious air about him that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand and her body tingle.

With a slightly furrowed brow he commanded. "Now Orihime. Stop being a… fucking little tease! Suck me till I come in your mouth." He could see her aura flare lightly in excitement. _'I've never been so hard in my life!'_ He admired how radiant she looked on her knees. _'She's just for me!'_ Uryuu shifted one hand from her shoulder to the back of her head. "You know it's what you want too Orihime."

His double meaning was not lost on her as he sought her final approval. The pleasurable warmth and slick moisture between her legs continued to build as she smiled demurely at him and shyly nodded her reply. This was exactly what she wanted.

Orihime licked her lips. Hungrily she reached out with one hand to briefly fondle and admire the full bulge that demanded her attention before pulling down his sweatpants and his trademark white Quincy boxers. She watched as his cock spring up and down once freed before coming to rest, fully upright and pressed against his t-shirt at his lower abdomen. Orihime's excitement grew at the sight of her Little Quincy weeping a constant stream of pre-cum in her honor. _'He's bigger than he was last night.'_ Looking intently at his impressive, mean, one-eyed, and beautiful purple-headed monster she didn't think such a thing was possible. It caused a soft squeal of delight to escape her. The site of his impressively swollen cock was a sign. The strong reaction his body was having to this small bit of power play confirmed what she'd hoped would be true._ 'Ury-kun likes telling me what to do!' _

His eyes rolled in his head. _'She has no idea what she does to me! If she keeps squealing like that I'm not going to last.'_ He closed his eyes and thought hard, it took all of his concentration not to unleash into the air. After a moment he grunted in annoyance, it seemed that even his thoughts conspired against him. _'What if I do shoot up and it falls and drips all over Orihime's face?'_ That image was almost as potent as her cute little excited squeals_. 'Gah! If it's going to be this much torture I might as well just watch her.'_

She reached out a finger to catch some of the endlessly spewing pre-cum. She enjoyed the way he tasted, and there was no sweeter smell than the heady scent of his arousal. She watched his cock twitch and dance about, eager for her attention. Her Little Quincy really did have a life of its own. While she sucked greedily on her Uryuu flavored finger she looked up into the sweet face of the boy who towered above her. _'He's so beautiful… and yummy!'_

'_DAMNIT Orihime! She's oblivious!'_ No man, certainly no boy, was meant to be able to resist such a sight. Fully dressed or naked, he was certain his girlfriend didn't have a clue how remarkably sexy she really was.

Looking down, watching her, Uryuu felt it painful just to breathe. Just a few days ago he'd kissed a girl for the first time. Less than twenty-four hours ago he was still a virgin. He grit his teeth, and his face coiled. _'How much can I take so soon?_' Both of his heads felt like they were going to explode from the overload. He tried to take Orihime in stride but it was useless, she was both his omnipotence and his kryptonite. Trying to resist her was like trying to keep the sun from shining. Uryuu felt like a spoiled kid with a learners permit trying to drive a brand new Ferrari.

She heard him grunt loudly before she felt his two large hands grab the sides of her head and grasp tightly at her hair. She watched his face twist in frustration and carnal lust. _'Ury-kun looks mad!'_ She knew he wasn't, that it was just a side of effect of the intense sensations that were beginning to sear through him, but she sucked in an involuntary breath anyway.

"NOW!" He growled. There was nothing forced about that demand.

Uryuu stared down on her with need filled eyes and an austere look on his face as he freed one hand from her hair and grabbed a hold of his cock, and placed it hostilely at the entrance of her mouth. In a short jerky motion he yanked her head forward and pushed the ridge of his purple head past her delicious looking lips. "Damnit Orihime, finish it!"

Orihime's balance waivered causing her to fall forward a bit. She wrapped her hands around his thighs to steady herself.

Though his need for release was no less than it was a moment ago, he suddenly became aware that he may have crossed a line in his amateurish lack of control. _'I forced myself into her!' _He felt a sharp pang of shame and disgust. Yet, at the same time, he noticed that her face was locked in a tensely strained expression and she had clamped her knees tightly together.

'_I know that look.'_ He felt the vibrations of her soft whining reverberate against his sensitive and swollen head. He couldn't hold back the moan that escaped him as a wonderful little tremor raced through his body.

"Orihime, did you just cum?" It seemed like a stupid thing to say.

'_There's no way she could have.'_ He watched his girlfriend closely as she steadfastly held the tip of his cock securely between her lips and nodded an undeniable "yes". At that same moment, he felt her lips slide down his shaft and a very eager tongue start to pet his slit and lap circles around his girth.

'_Ury-kun…'_ The look on his face was fierce. She was mesmerized. _'Ury-kun's the sexiest boy ever!' _

Orihime was certain that if she wasn't already on her knees then she would have fallen to them the moment he forced himself into her. When he callously and greedily demanded that she service him she couldn't help herself, she'd never been so turned on in her life. There was no build-up, just an explosion. Her undercover god made her cum, fully clothed and completely untouched. She had the perfect plan to thank him.

Orihime's mouth trailed slowly down then back up his shaft, sucking lightly, and savoring the silky feeling of his smooth and hairless cock as it slid between her lips. It involuntarily twitched and throbbed in its own excitement, silently pleading with her to continue. With a languid tongue, she carefully bathed and lubricated her favorite toy in a mixture of her saliva and the ample supply of pre-cum that continually dripped from his slit. Every intake of breath left her basking in the clean soapy smell that lingered from their morning shower and mixed intoxicatingly with the uniquely musky scent of his manhood. _'Ury-kun…'_

The muscles in his abdomen clenched on each upstroke at the sensation of her small hand wrapping around the base of his dick, squeezing and pumping slowly in tandem with her warm tongue sliding along the sensitive ridge on the underside of his shaft, from base to tip. A moan escaped his chest at the exquisite feel of her tongue lapping at his head in long, unbroken, and even stroke. Her lips encased the mushroom shaped end in an air tight seal and applied incremental amounts of bliss inducing suction.

"Orihime…" He panted.

Partially spurred by her own excitement, Orihime's hand clenched tighter around him. Zealously, she pumped harder and nuzzled his length against the side of her face as she began to suck hungrily on his sack, taking each ball into her mouth and rolling it around gently. The more he twitched and throbbed in her busy hand the greater her desire to have him back in her mouth.

Shifting from one side of his sack to the other she drenched two of the fingers on her free hand with the natural lubricant in her mouth. With feather light touches she traced back along the sensitive flesh that connected his anus to the base of his penis, just like she had the very first time he let her touch him. _'Ury-kun wasn't ready last time I touched him here.' _She was certain he was ready now as she happily sealed her lips back around his rod.

Orihime smiled to herself as he slid back into her, she loved how he felt. She loved what she could do to his body. She loved how he reacted to her. She didn't think she'd ever tire of the sensation of beautiful cock expanding while lodged inside of her.

Thoughts in his head blurred. There was nothing sweet about the way she was touching him. Her touch was intended to illicit pure carnal pleasure and nothing else. The world stood still when her hands fondled him, and all but disappeared whenever he was buried inside of her. The warm wet feeling of her mouth encasing him as she rode his length and sucked ferociously felt so similar to the euphoria of being nestled deep inside the warm wet cavern of her pussy.

He felt her tongue explore the texture of his cock, the rise of its veins, the curves of its head and the deep ridge at its base. Her tongue explored every last inch of whatever it touched. It reminded him of his own tongue's thorough exploit of her the first night he kissed her mouth and the first time he delved into her pussy. He had no idea it would feel so good to have her return the favor.

The instant her mouth coiled back around his dick and found a comfortable rhythm to harmonize the pumping motion of her hand and the bobbing of her head, his hands reclaimed their aggressive lock onto the sides of her head to fortify her mouth's path. Instinctively he felt his hips sync to meet her tempo. Even amidst the ecstasy that filled him, the feather light touches of her gentle fondling of the sensitive stretch of skin between his legs sent a shiver down his spine.

His breathing, the rocking of his hips, his pleasure filled moans, and his vise like grasp on her head told her he was ready. Careful not to disrupt her rhythm, Orihime tilted her bobbing head to watch him as she slid one finger smoothly up his anal passage and pressed against his prostate. She watched him initially wince at the alien intrusion but as she pressed against and massaged his highly erogenous sweet spot his mouth shifted from tightly clenched to pleasurably gaping. The force of his thrusts into her welcoming mouth increased.

In preparation for his eventual climax she fastened several fingers in a secure grip around the base of his magnificent and fully engorged cock while she continued to increase the squeeze of her grip and the speed of her rhythm. Orihime slide another finger inside and vigorously finger fucked him, taunting the sensitive nerve endings of his prostate. She was pleased when she felt his hips begin to shift and rotate to force her fingers in further.

Uryuu felt his balls tighten, and cock continued to swell. His face stretched deceitfully into an expression of unfathomable pain as his body stiffened and arched back. The powerful sensations of an earth shattering orgasm began to rush through him.

Immediately his hips ratcheted forcefully as he tried repeatedly to thrust himself mercilessly into his girlfriend's sucking mouth while pulling her head toward him, in a desperate need to impale himself into her. Orihime relaxed her muscles and let him guide her head to keep pace with his thrusts as he fucked her mouth with. The fingers she'd fastened securely at his base guaranteed that he wouldn't actually hurt her or push himself through the back of her throat while he lost control.

His release consumed him wholly, forcing his neck to drop all the way back causing his head to slam forcefully into the wall. All five of his senses failed him. Pleasure was all he knew. He grunted something deep and primal before a long continuous roar erupted from his chest. Orihime thought he looked like some mythical Greek demi-god swearing ferociously and passionately up at the gods of Olympus.

Stream after stream exploded from him and gushed into her waiting mouth. She was so happy to bring him so much pleasure; his release filled her with a sense of pride in her ability to do this for him. She wanted to smile but she couldn't. His spewing cum filled her mouth completely - stream after endless stream and seep out of her mouth. Instead she swallowed as much as she could as it came.

Everything was still an uncontrollable whirling haze as Uryuu's muscles went limp causing him to fall back and lean against the wall. His chin dropped to his chest while he watched his sexy Hime-chan fill her belly with his still jetting streams of hot cum.

He felt his cock start to soften in her mouth, and as the last bit of seed poured from him he found the energy to pull her off of his nearly flaccid member before his legs gave out and his butt hit the floor.

Orihime smiled adoringly at her spent and exhausted boy. While he basked in his afterglow she cleaned the sweat from his face and brushed his bangs behind his ears before leaving soft butterfly kisses on his shaft and a chaste kiss at the tip of his head.

When Uryuu began to regain his faculties he found his Hime-chan straddling him, sweetly covering every last inch of his cotton clad chest, salty neck, and flushed face with even more soft butterfly kisses. _'I love you Orihime.'_ His body felt weak, but his heart felt light and full, safe in her arms. He didn't want to talk, he just wanted her as close to him as possible. So he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

Their serenity was short lived as an obnoxiously loud knock at the front door jostled them both rudely out of their intimate moment.

Orihime was comfortable and had no intention of moving.

A budding urge to kill whoever had the audacity to disturb him and his resting Hime-chan began to brew as Uryuu gathered just enough energy to reach his arm up and pull the door open wide enough to peek out front.

Tatsuki, Chizuru, and Renji were pleased with themselves. They'd managed to pack most of the little annoying things along with all of her clothes and personal effects in just a couple of hours. They were still waiting for someone to show up with a moving truck, but they thought they'd drop off a few boxes in the meantime.

Renji pounded crassly on the front door.

"This isn't a zoo and you aren't a smelly crap flinging baboon. Do you really have to pound on the door that hard Renji?" Tatsuki chided.

He grunted like a primate and mumbled under his breath something that sounded like bankai and Zabimaru and monkeys fucking the yuri right outta her. Both girls just giggled until the door seemed to crack open by itself. There was no one standing behind it.

Three sets of confused eyes dropped forward just long enough to see something that looked like Ishida Uryuu peeking through the bottom of the door before they distinctly heard him say, "Go away!" Then rudely slammed the door shut.

A relaxed Orihime mumbled into his neck. "Who is it Ury-kun? I still want cookies."

The sound of Orihime's dulcet voice made him want to do nothing but cuddle her and take a nap. "No one important. Sorry Hime-chan, no cookies." He said while rubbing her back.

"Ury-kun!" Her hidden face donned the pout she'd hoped his ears could hear.

He sighed, "Tatsu…uh, my sister, a trained monkey, and a lesbian." He felt Orihime silently laugh against him. It was just enough to break the sour expression that Renji's boisterous interruption had caused.

Orihime's head perked up. "You're silly Ury-kun. So, Tatsuki-chan, Chizuru-chan, and Renji-kun are here?" She'd never heard him joke around like that before. She was even more surprised at the effort he was making to accept Tatsuki. She had a feeling that'd he'd secretly always longed for a sibling, like most single children do. She knew he'd never admit it though.

Orihime watched him nod a sleepy "yes". She just couldn't contain herself, the urge bubbled up and she squealed again, loudly… "Ury-kun's so cute!!" She planted a fat giddy smack of a kiss on his lips before she poked her head out of the front door.

"Gomen Tatsuki-chan. I just need to get Ury-kun's pants back on. We won't be long." She disappeared behind the door as quickly as she appeared.

Again, the trio had the door abruptly shut right in their faces. But at least this time it was a lot more entertaining. Three sets of eyebrows rose as they each tried to explain why Ishida's pants needed to be pulled up and why the couple seemed to be on the living room floor.

It would certainly help pass the waiting time.

Turns out they didn't need to wait long. The relaxing serenity Uryuu was trying so desperately to maintain flew right out the door along with her public announcement that he was pant-less.

He knew better than to correct her. He never did when she committed social faux pas like the ones she seemed to a a lot these days, even though they all seemed to be obliviously executed at his expense. If he brought it up Orihime would only feel bad about embarrassing him and he just knew this little quirk in her personality was something that would never go away, even if Orihime did try to become more aware. Besides, it was one of those things that made Orihime special, a part of her innocent and endearing charm.

"Hime-chan!!" He roared light heartedly while sporting an impressive crimson blush as he scooped her up into his arms and stood up. "Thank you Hime-chan! That was incredible. I never knew anything could feel so wonderful." He nuzzled at her neck while setting her to her feet. "If that's what I get for ordering you around like a slutty subservient little sex kitten, then you can bet it'll happen a lot more often!" He grinned wickedly at her to seal his promise.

Orihime felt weak in the knees again.

He stood naked from the waist down with his boxers and sweat pants still pooled around his ankles. "Now pull my pants back up so we can deal with them." He really didn't want to, but it couldn't be helped.

Orihime was a happy girl, he made her that way. She couldn't resist dropping one more kiss on the tip of his now-semi flaccid penis while she re-dressed him. Her eyes bulged out a little, surprised at his stunning recovery rate. _'Ready to go so soon, after all of that!'_ She rubbed her full belly. _'Geez, Mr. Sex Pistol's definitely unstoppable!' _

"Ok Hime-chan, Renji and Chizuru are here. Who do you want to see first?"

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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Updates seem to be running at 1-2 weeks these days. It depends mostly on work.

_Thanks to those who continue reading. Please review, I really do rely on the reviews for valuable insight. I fix things and they help me determine certain undefined and future aspects of the story. _


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

Arigato to my beta, Megami-Kitty… OMFG bows, head to the floor!

Big push forward in the plot. Last chapter was intended to satisfy those who wanted more smut; this one is finally moving the story forward for those who feel it's dragging.

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**Chapter Edit History**

Nothing yet, just wait! Oh, maybe not… I finally got a beta... WOOT!

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**Chapter Summary**

Orihime meets up with Chizuru, Tatsuki performs a high level Quincy technique without effort or training, Uryuu discovers something liberating about his powers and as a result wonders just how closely tied he is to Tatsuki, Uryuu also figures out what's making Orihime unstable, Shiori and Ryuuken drop by unexpectedly, Turbulent family reunion, and Many secrets of the Quincy cross are revealed

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**CHAPTER****15**

…"_Ok Hime-chan, Renji is here and Chizuru is here. Who do you want to see first?"_

"Ury-kun, my tummy hurts." Orihime knew what he was going to say. "I can't make it go away either." She whined in discomfort.

'_Huh?'_ Uryuu was a bit taken back as he watched Orihime suddenly wrap her arms around her stomach, and looked up at him with a strained face.

The buxom princess began to rub circles against her stomach in a futile attempt to lessen the discomfort. "But don't worry Ury-kun, I don't think it was your special Quincy juice." She smiled sweetly in reassurance. "That was yummy!" Still, her apparent unease clouded her intended enthusiasm.

Uryuu hitched an eyebrow. _'Quincy juice?'_ Had he not been so concerned by the fact that she had a stomach ache, his male ego would have caused him to smirk proudly at her utterance that she liked the way he tasted.

"What do you mean Orihime? You can't just heal yourself and fix it?" The Quincy felt a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach as he watched her shake her head. His feeling of unease continued to grow the more he thought about what her seemingly simple 'stomach ache' actually meant.

'_If she can't heal herself then that means…' _ Uryuu really didn't want to admit anything to himself. _'Whatever's wrong with her has nothing to do with her human body. She's getting worse!'_ It was the only thing that made any sense. _'She's growing more unstable and I still have no idea how to help her! I don't even know what's wrong.'_

He looked into her soft eyes and cupped her head in the palms of his hands. Uryuu hated that his only options were to ignore the situation or pointlessly discuss it which would only end up upsetting Orihime. Choosing the lesser of two evils, he chose to ignore it until there was a better option. "Hime-chan, I don't know how to fix that."

'_Maybe seeing people today isn't such a good idea after all.'_ Uryuu didn't want to chance the possibility of anything upsetting her further, especially since he didn't know what might affect her instability. "You don't have to meet with anyone right now. I can tell them to go away."

"I love Ury-kun. Ury-kun takes such good care of me." Orihime smiled and pensively bit her lip as she looked at her Quincy boy. "No, it's ok. I want to see them." Even so, the twisted knots of anxiety she felt about taking the next step toward reuniting herself with the day-to-day life she so dearly missed reminded of the first time she rode a roller coaster. "Ury-kun, do you like roller coasters?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around him and drifted into the memory of the first time she'd ridden one.

'_That was a fun day, but Tatsuki-chan was too cranky.'_ Orihime fondly remembered the day she discovered that she liked dropping out of the sky from high places.

"I change my mind Tatsuki-chan," said Orihime shamefully. After two hours of waiting in line out in the hot sun to ride the scariest roller coaster in Japan, fear bested Orihime and she turned to make her final getaway. Much to her disappointment, Orihime didn't get very far before she was yanked back alongside Tatsuki. _'Ohhh, nooo! Tatsuki-chan's too clever,'_ she thought while fumbling with the knot at her waist.

'_Damnit Orihime! Just get on the fucking roller coaster… I know you'll love it!'_ Tatsuki pulled on the shoelaces she'd daisy chained together in order to tether herself to her best friend, who had a penchant for stopping to look at things without telling anyone and was thus getting left behind all the time. She decided to put an end to the craziness, once and for all. "Like hell you did Orihime! You've changed your mind over a 100 times today, and I'm getting tired of it. Now hurry up and change it again. You've got about a minute to change back into _brave_ _Orihime_ if you want to get on this roller coaster with any dignity!" Orihime had never been on a roller coaster before and her apprehension had been driving Tatsuki nuts all day. But just to make sure there was no possible way for Orihime to misinterpret her meaning, Tatsuki made her intentions perfectly clear. "Otherwise I'm carrying you kicking and screaming!"

Twelve hours later…

"Please Orihime, can we leave after this?" Tatsuki desperately wanted to sleep. Orihime had, in her best friend's opinion, abused their friendly tether by jubilantly and mercilessly dragging her through the amusement park all day long. They rode each roller coaster at least twice and the biggest ones three times each. _'I've created a monster!'_ She couldn't help but smile to herself. Orihime was having such a great time. _'See Orihime all that worry for nothing!'_

That was definitely a fun day! _'I wonder if Ury-kun would go with me. I want to hold Ury-kun's hand on a roller coaster.' _She thought to herself as the memory came to an end.

'_What an odd question,'_ he thought as he held her close. "Hai, but I've only been on one, when I was younger." He kissed the top of her head and idly rubbed her back. Even as he responded, he couldn't stop thinking about her stomach ache. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing important Ury-kun." She nuzzled against his shirt and took solace in his confidence. _'Ury-kun loves me. If Ury-kun's not worried about my belly, then I shouldn't worry either.'_ It was all she needed to convince herself. Orihime let out a deep breath. "Ok, I want to see Chizuru-chan please," she 'Eeeped' in surprise when he smacked her ass lightly on his way to the door.

"You're the boss Hime-chan." He looked back at her playfully.

The moment his hand touched the doorknob, Uryuu's facial expression shifted to its normal look of perpetual annoyance which caused Orihime giggle.

"Honshoo Chizuru." He looked at her with disinterest and motioned for both her and Tatsuki to come in before turning his attention to the hippie-clad Renji.

"Oi Renji, can you come back later?" Uryuu inquired.

"Nah, I'll just sit out here and take a nap. Does that work?" Renji watched the Quincy nod and disappear once the girls slipped past him. _'Hmph! Still has an arrogant stick up his ass. Oh well, so much for Orihime getting him to loosen up!'_ His face furrowed in thought after his friends disappeared behind the closed door. _'Ishida Uryuu, what happened to you man?' _He stared at the apartment door for a moment before finally settling to rest. _ 'Arrogant or not, that's not the same guy I went to Las Noches with.' _

Chizuru stood patiently on the front porch waiting for Orihime to finish re-dressing her anti-social beau. She just couldn't get her mind out of the gutter, but then again it wasn't like she was trying too_. 'I wonder what sex is like between those two. What if it's just lame vanilla-style missionary? Ugh how boring!'_

But somehow she knew that if they probably weren't into the crazy stuff yet, they would be. _'Orihime's way too shy and proper in public and those kinds of girls are usually pretty wild behind closed doors. Especially someone as uh… well… special as my Hime.'_ Chizuru's mind rapidly cycled between visions of Orihime running around naked, visions of the girl jumping all over the furniture while letting her glorious chest bounce freely, and she even had visions of the girl strapping a harness to Uryuu and riding him around like a horse. She could easily loose track of time and entertain herself for hours. It was all to exciting for the renowned pervert.

"Giddyup!" Chizuru shouted loudly! Though her outburst was unintentional, she still really-really wanted to go _play. _She turned to waggle her eye brows suggestively at Tatsuki who just flashed a knowing a smile before mouthing the words 'insatiable pervert.'

When Uryuu emerged from the door looking just as friendly and approachable as ever, Chizuru pulled herself away from her yummy large breasted perversions. _'Oh yeah, this will be about as fun as getting a bikini wax!' _she said while rolling her eyes_. _Still, Chizuru's heart leapt the instant he said her name. She was giddy and worried all at once. She couldn't wait to see her friend. _'Orihime… I've missed you. I hope everything is ok.'_

Chizuru just couldn't wait. She started toward the door but stopped when she felt the unfamiliar sensation of Tatsuki taking her hand to hold her back. The impatient red-head was shocked. _'Suki-chan? What's gotten into her… I mean really?' _ First, it was all that stuff from last night; then there was the amazing kiss this morning, followed by the surprising displays of affection in front of Renji; and now, this. '_What if someone sees us? What if Ishida and Hime-chan see us?' _

The red-head looked confusedly at their joined hands. She loved the idea that her spikey-haired girl would actually be serious enough about their relationship to actually show signs of affection in front of Orihime. _'Why are you so surprising all of a sudden Suki-chan? Did you hit your head really hard this weekend?' _With a pained expression,Chizuru looked up at the beautiful face that haunted her dreams._ 'Tatsuki-love, I know it's Orihime you really want. Why would you let her see?'_

Tatsuki pulled her girl close to utter a gentle reminder. "Remember Pervy-chan, you can't go after Orihime like you usually do… ever again," she whispered then nibbled briefly on the other girl's ear. "Uryuu's irrational when it comes to her, and I don't want you to get hurt. Besides, Orihime is a little gun shy around people right now."

Chizuru nodded to acknowledge her champ's words, and tried to release their hands. She surprised when Tatsuki wouldn't allow it.

The red-head understood everything the other girl had said. Despite that, Chizuru grew even more confused about their relationship, feelings which were magnified by Tatsuki's uncommon actions and unreserved body language. _'Geez! What the hell is with everyone? Uryuu's apparently some half crazed murderous magical archer samurai thing, Suki-chan is acting so amazing and wonderful I'm afraid one of us will disappear at the stroke of midnight, and for the love of Pockey what the hell is up with Orihime?'_ She winced a bit when she felt a small headache begin to brew up behind her eyes.

The red-head let her champ lead her into the apartment. Chizuru cautiously made her way her way past the scary and unpleasant looking boy standing at the threshold who was glaring at her in silent warning. _'Ugh! Could this be anymore uncomfortable?'_

She thought briefly about congratulating the Handicrafts King. After all, anyone who can land a girl like Orihime deserved a pat on the back for a job well done, even if they did seem like an arrogant prick. Still, the nagging desire to tease him for landing himself in a situation where Orihime had to pull his pants back up for him was just so much more enticing! In the end, she decided to heed her champ's words about him being a little irrational, so she just decided to keep her mouth shut.

"CHIZURU-CHAN!!..." Orihime shouted gleefully. She was truly happy to see her friend, and as much as she wanted to spring forward to give the other girl a hug she still wasn't quite confident enough to leave behind the security she felt when she was bundled up in her Quincy cocoon.

Orihime leaned back into her boy who had taken his rightful place as her personal back rest by standing behind her. She couldn't help but smile brightly at her friend. _'Chizuru-chan's so happy to see me.'_

"HIME-CHAN!!..." Chizuru returned the infectious welcome and leapt toward her friend full force, only to fall flat on her ass when Tatsuki's secure grip on her hand reeled her back.

Tatsuki shook her head, she saw it coming. _'Sometimes I swear she's just like a puppy – cute, playful, and filled with good intentions but completely unable to restrain herself when she gets excited.'_ She smiled to herself. _'I love my crazy puppy.'_

Orihime giggled at the familiar and oddly comforting scene of her best friend bringing down the clingy Hime-charging-red-head. For the first time since she'd been back Orihime felt like she was home. And, to everyone's surprise Orihime bent down to help the subdued girl up from the floor. "I've missed you Chizuru-chan." She wrapped her arms around her clingy friend, hugging her so hard the girl's face began to turn blue.

"Tatsuki-chan and Chizuru-chan… ohhhh it's so wonderful!" Orihime squealed delightfully, missing the confused look on Chizuru's face. "Maybe we can be sisters too like Tatsuki-chan and me are going to be. Ohhh and we can both have lots and lots of little Quincy babies!"

'_Huh?!...'_ Chizuru's face went blank and a soft nervous giggle found its way out.

'_Huh?!...'_ Tatsuki's face twisted in curiosity as she wondered whether Orihime knew exactly what was required in order to make babies.

'_Hah!'…_ Uryuu was relieved. _'Finally I'm not her target!'_

Oblivious to their reactions, Orihime briefly bit the tip of her thumb as resolve settled in. "But that's only if you want to marry Tatsuki-chan, but I really think you should marry her Chizuru-chan. 'Coz Tatsuki-chan's wonderful!" Orihime boisterously declared in spite of a blushing Tatsuki, a near shell-shocked Chizuru, and a wonderfully amused Uryuu.

"Then we'll be sisters too and we can keep each other company while we talk about them and sew Quincy crosses on all of their clothes." Three individual eyebrows arched as Uryuu, Tatsuki, and Chizuru tried to wrap their minds around the weird thoughts that came so naturally to Orihime.

Orihime's words spilled unexpectedly and flowed so fast that there was really no time to think. Chizuru felt fatigued just trying to keep up let alone digest anything Orihime was saying. Giant swirls filled her eyes. At this point it was literally a challenge just trying to recall up from down. In fact, the last time she felt like this was when the dentist was gassing her up to remove her wisdom teeth.

'_WHAT THE HELL ORIHIME!'_ Chizuru screamed in her head. This was definitely the Orihime she knew and loved, but geez! _'Marry… Tatsuki? Quincy babies? Sew… what? Huh, she knows? Orihime knows all about me and Suki-chan?' _

Chizuru took a deep breath. She noticed the amused smirk that Ishida tried to hide before turning to see her Suki-chan blush furiously. _'That look… Tatsuki-love?'_ Her knees gave out on her. _'She's not objecting to any of it!' s_he thought as ground seemed to drop from beneath her.

The girl with no shame, the one who never got embarrassed or flustered had finally met her bane.

From behind, Tatsuki watched her girl waiver and begin drop. She moved in to catch her so quickly to catch her that it felt as though Chizuru dropped into her waiting arms in slow motion. _'What the hell was that?'_ Her face betrayed her confusion.

As if he could read her mind, Uryuu declared "Hirenkyaku," with a knowing confidence. Tatsuki met his gaze. "That speed, it's a Quincy technique. It's called Hirenkyaku," he explained once more. Uryuu was impressed, jealous, and intrigued all at once. Few Quincy are able to use Hirenkyaku. It took him years of dedicated training to master the technique himself.

'_Whoa,'_ thought Tatsuki. _'That was pretty damn cool. I wonder what other stuff I can do,' _she thought while absent mindedly fiddling with the dangling cross on her wrist. _'Quincy eh?' _

Tatsuki seemed oblivious to the fact that she'd been constantly fondling the holy relic as if it were a sentimental treasure since she put it on the other night. She even did it in her sleep. Chizuru was the only one who seemed to notice this new habit though. The red-head thought it odd that whenever Tatsuki played with her cross it seemed to have a calming effect on her champ. It was weird, almost as though Tatsuki were petting herself.

'_It's not like there are any books about 'How to be a Quincy' in the school library that I can check out to help me learn this stuff,' T_atsuki thought. _ 'Hirenkyaku huh?' _She felt charged. So much was going on, but she no longer felt alone or out of sorts with her new life, instead she was eager and excited. _'I want to know everything about being Quincy!'_

On the other hand, Uryuu was left wonderingif something else was behind her unusual display of power. _''That's not normal. How was that so easy for her?' _

Uryuu had been so wrapped up in Orihime lately that he'd paid little attention to himself. It wasn't until now, until he watched his untrained twin perform Hirenkyaku with such an effortless ease that he realized something very strange happened with his Quincy powers.

For as long as he could remember, Uryuu had felt a guttural instinct that always gnawed at him to push and train harder to unlock and master the true potential of his power. He realized now that drive was gone, just disappeared. In a poetic reverie he thought to himself, _'I've always felt unnatural, like a caged bird with clipped wings. No matter how hard I tried I could never fly. But all of a sudden it's… it's gone?' _The thought of boundless Quincy power marinated.

With equal parts of shock and wonder her silently gasped._ 'What am I capable of!?' _

'_How is this even possible?' _Uryuu felt a strange sense of rightness and freedom wash over him as realization set in. He was no longer the clipped and caged bird straining to achieve what should come naturally. At first he thought Orihime's more powerful consciousness caused such an extreme occurrence until he remembered that he had felt this way once before. He delved though his mind to try and pinpoint exactly where he was and what he was doing the first time he felt so unrestricted.

When he found it, Uryuu played and replayed the scene in his head. Each time, he remembered the strangeness he felt when Tatsuki put on her cross for the first time. _'That can't be right,' _he mused _'I thought that was just her wild reiatsu I felt or some other odd source of energy. Why would her cross unlock my powers? Are we really that linked?'_

Uryuu began to contemplate this new piece of information but before he could fully absorb it, another thought raced through his mind. _'If this is true, if I am, for whatever reason, more capable than I was before then maybe I can help her.'_ His unclipped freedom spurred a new hope within him. _'Orihime...'_

Saving her was all that mattered. Uryuu was desperate for anything that might help him understand what was happening to her. While the girls around him were busy with their reunion, Uryuu concentrated on Orihime. He tried to remember how he felt in the presence of her more powerful self. _'I need to remember that feeling. I need to see the energy that lives inside and all around her more clearly… and for more than just a few seconds. Damnit, I need to see something, anything!'_

As if responding to his silent plea, the strange and all-consuming energy that thrashed about her, the energy he had only been able to see during the brief lapses of in her personality slowly began to shift into focus. And what he saw terrified him.

'_Orihime…' _She was like a clogged drain. The energy that she was supposed to keep in balance was passing through her at an alarmingly slow rate. Uryuu recalled what his mother had told them about The Heart and came to the conclusion that the longer she was unable to fulfill her primary function as The Heart by maintaining the balance of nature, the more unbalanced the universe became and thus the greater the clogging mass within her grew. _ 'Shiori-san was right. If something's not done and the balance isn't restored, then everything that The Heart has created, including the entire universe, will cease to exist._

His heart cried out to her in fear. _'I can't lose you.'_ There was no reason to live without his princess. His knees threatened to give out. It was only his will to keep her smiling that kept him upright. _'Hime-chan… you're dying.' _

As he stood quietly watching Orihime's apocalyptic forces of energy dance angrily around her, his thoughts brought him back to his earlier realization that he had achieved a new level of sight and awareness. _'No endless hours of training and meditation._' Things he once believed difficult now seem like they might be child's play.

Uryuu's stare dropped from the brewing cataclysm to his hands. The bland expression on his face hid the many thoughts that seemed to avalanche in his head. _'This feeling of control over my power feels inherent, as natural as breathing!'_

His eyes shifted to his twin. _'I wonder if it's the same for her too. If it is, she wouldn't even know the difference since her wings were never clipped.' _

Suddenly he resented her terribly for obtaining the full force of her abilities from the get-go, effortlessly_. 'She never had the need to train her Quincy abilities. She has no Quincy pride!'_

For a Quincy with as much pride as Ishida Uryuu, this was unacceptable. _'How the hell will she ever know the pride of the Quincy if it's not something she has to work for?!'_ He clenched his hands spitefully before reminding himself that this, of all things, was a childish grudge to hold. _'We're both victims of the same circumstance, just from different sides of the coin. It's not like she could have controlled any of this. Besides, she's not idle. She has been training her whole life, just like I have. She probably has just as much pride in martial arts._

An unusual sense of pride befell him. _'Yes, just like me!' _Once more, Uryuu had to wonder just how similar his sister and him really were._ 'Arisawa Tatsuki is a warrior who, like me, has dedicated herself to perfection in battle through strength of body and discipline of mind.'_

His anger had dispelled and was replaced with shear determination. _'Hai big sister, it's not your fault that you didn't know what you were. Had things been different, we might have even trained together. But I swear on my own pride that you will also know the pride of the Quincy. I'll see to it personally!' _

The sound of Orihime squealing delightfully pulled him from his silent reflections. Uryuu decided that solving the riddles of Tatsuki would have to wait for another day. 

Oddly enough, he felt slightly comforted after throwing those thoughts around in his head. Perhaps his resolve to help his twin bolstered his confidence that somehow he might be able to do something for Orihime after all. Uryuu felt warmth fill his chest. He vowed, '_Orihime I swear… I will find a way to save you!'_

"Chizuru-chan and Tatsuki-chan are so cute." Orihime hugged herself and wiggled around a bit for emphasis. Maybe it was because Orihime was happy that Tatsuki found someone, or probably it was because Chizuru was the only fru-fru girly friend she had, but for some reason Orihime was thrilled. _'Chizuru-chan, thank you for being my roller coaster.'_

"Come Chizuru-chan." Orihime grabbed the other girl's hand and led her off toward the bedroom. "Tell me about school and then you can tell me all about you and Tatsuki-chan. I want to know _everything_," she said with a suggestive wink.

Tatsuki and Uryuu tilted their heads slightly to the side and watched in both fear and amusement as a jubilant auburn haired girl pulled an utterly flabbergasted red-head into the bedroom and shut the door. In unison the dark haired duo spoke with evident anxiety, "I wonder what they are going to talk about."

A pleasant voice off to the side answered their joint rhetorical question. "I think it's apparent don't you? They'll probably talk about the two of you and the sex that neither of you should be having at your age that I can't seem to do anything about."

'_CRAP CRAP CRAP!'_ Tatsuki's jaw dropped as she stuttered. "Uh Mom! Heh, uh…, I-I didn't hear you come in." For a moment she cowered under her mother's blazing glare, then she just froze in place, speechless, as her twin reacted to another presence in the room.

"You!"Uryuu glared menacingly at his father. '_I don't need this right now!'_ All he wanted to do was to focus on his Hime-chan, and while Shiori-san's knowledge as the Raien Priestess would certainly be useful in his attempt to find some answers, he was certain his father would be anything but. "What do you want Ryuuken?"

The elder Ishida raised a single eyebrow at his son's insolence. "It's impolite to address me in that manner, Uryuu. You'd be wise to learn some manners."

'_Ugh, could they be anymore alike!'_ Shiori just shook her head. She was both proud of and annoyed with at pig headed men in her life.

"He's here because I asked him to come." She studied the young faces of her teenaged children. "I went to see him after speaking with you earlier, Uryuu. I needed someone to talk to. Besides, he's your father and he is as much a part of everything that is happening right now as any of us." Shiori paused momentarily to let her words sink in.

She then turned to Uryuu. "This is a family matter. He has sacrificed much, and despite your misguided protests, he does deserve your respect." She waited for her son's snide retort. Somehow, Shiori anticipated that her son would react violently toward her assertions. Though he was too much a man for his age he was still just an angry and naive boy.

"Is that so Shiori-san? Is that what we are to you? All of us, family?" Clearly Uryuu had little regard for such a word as he spat coldly back at his mother, and all the while he never relinquished the equally icy stare he had on his father.

"You'll have to forgive me Shiori-san, if I don't share your feelings." The youngest Quincy was clearly in no mood to put up with anyone as his chilling gaze dropped to his mother. "You would have me show respect in my own home toward those who show none for me?" He paused a moment and gauged. "That doesn't seem right, does it Shiori-san? Or is it respectful to intrude on the personal matters of others and invite unwelcomed guests into someone else's home?"

Tatsuki stood quietly the through stubborn and scornful exchange. The girl couldn't ever imagine having such a hostile relationship with her mother like the one her brother and estranged father seemed to have. She glanced at her mother and gasped audibly, but no one paid attention. There was such a suffocating sadness in the elder woman's eyes. _'Mom's soooo sad! I've never seen her look like that before.' _

Even the energy she saw around her mother seemed to hang low and move slowly. This morning it was vibrant and lively. This morning she was a beautiful array of warm colors, but now her aura made her seem like an entirely different person. Despite her mother's pleasant voice, her reiatsu did not lie. _'I love you Mom, please don't be so sad. She can't possibly be this sad just because these guys are fighting. From what I gather, these baka are always like this.'_

Tatsuki heard a creak behind her. The noise in the living room had caused Orihime and Chizuru to curiously crack the bedroom door just wide enough to poke their cute little heads out, one on top of the other. They looked like cautious, wide-eyed little girls plotting to steal the cookie jar. Tatsuki couldn't help but relax a little and smile at them. They were so absolutely adorable!

In an effort to spare her two favorite girls any discomfort by including them in this strained little family reunion, Tatsuki silently urged them to go back into the room. _'I wonder if I can sneak out of here and go play with them.'_ She mumbled to herself before resigning to her fate. _'Family first, friends second, fun last…grrr! Can I at least get some popcorn while I watch them fight for the coveted position of alpha male?'_

"Uryuu, your insolence and childish arrogance is astounding." Ryuuken charged across the small living room and lifted his son, pinning him against the wall by his neck. "Truly remarkable to have such arrogance that it's quite impossible for you to see past your own nose." His calm voice dripped with scorn.

Uryuu's feet dangled comfortably as a small self-satisfied grin played across his face. "You've grown slow in your old age, Ryuuken. I could have sewn Orihime's wedding dress before you even reached me." He taunted his father as he watched the elder man's eyes hold steady. Ryuuken had often expressed a disdain for his son's preferred hobby.

"How many times will you disappoint me, Uryuu?" It _almost_ sounded as if he had actually cared.

Ryuuken tightened his grip around his youngest son's neck. "If you hate me so much boy, you should have killed me when you had the chance." Always playing the part of the stoic bastard, Ryuuken's passion was only betrayed by his eyes and even then it wasn't obvious unless you knew what to look for.

'_When I had the chance?'_ Uryuu watched as the fire sparked to a blaze behind the calculating eyes that belonged to he man he hated so vehemently. Uryuu huffed as he felt his father's forceful grip grab his chin and yank his sight in the direction of the woman he rudely spoke to.

"Look at her closely Uryuu." The elder Quincy pulled his arm back slightly then slammed his son's head into the wall. "Look at the woman behind me. She cries when you hurt and prays for your happiness. For the sake of others she suffers endlessly, selflessly… silently without complaint or regret. You are not worthy to be her son." His gaze shifted between his two surviving children. "I will permit your naive disrespect, but you both will honor your mother!"

'…_Mom?'_ Tatsuki couldn't believe the scene that played out before her. _'What is he talking about?'_ She'd never heard anyone speak so passionately about her mother. Come to think of it, she'd never even seen her mother involved in any remotely romantic situation. _'I forgot, they're still married!' _She gasped_. 'They both spent all this time, nearly my whole life, married to the one they loved without being near one another?'_ It was unfathomable. _'They chose to remain alone and apart rather than to divorce or date or even try to be with anyone else?'_ It was the most bittersweet thing Tatsuki had ever imagined. _'So romantic. So tragic.'_

'_You lost your oldest son and spent all this time hiding yourself from your youngest son.'_ Tatsuki's heart ached for her mother. Despite everything, the woman always made her feel loved, special, and supported. Tatsuki never felt second best to anyone when it came to her mother, even when they fought. _'You were always home every night to cook dinner and eat with me.' _

'_How did you do all that? How do you even smile in the morning?'_ Tatsuki felt her very soul cry out in sorrow and regret for her mother. The girl lunged toward the woman and hugged her fiercely. "I'm so sorry Mom. I never knew." Tatsuki buried her face into her mother's chest when she felt tears start to falls. "You know I love you, right? Right, you know that?"

Shiori wrapped her arms around her emotion stricken child and hugged her close. She felt the tiny quakes of her daughter's light sobs against her body. "It's ok Tatsuki-chan. You did nothing wrong, baby. You have nothing to apologize for." She soothingly pet her daughter's wild hair and spoke with a soft and warm tone. "I know you love me baby. I never doubted it." She kissed the top of Tatsuki's head. "I couldn't have asked for a better daughter Tatsuki-chan. You're the reason I smile in the morning and the reason I'm home every night is to tuck you in." The elder woman chuckled a bit and tried to lighten her daughter's mood. "Even if you are too big now to be tucked in by your mommy."

Tatsuki looked up to find the beautiful woman she called Mom, smiling at her. Her aura glowed brightly, a perfect frame for her gentle beauty. _ 'Mom… you look like an angel.'_

In the special way that only a mother could, Shiori wiped the last of Tatsuki's tears away.

Wanting nothing more at that moment than to see her daughter smile, and well… perhaps, weasel her way back into tucking someone in at night, Shiori saw a perfect opportunity for both. A sly little smile played across her face as she continued to gently stoke her daughter's head.

"Although, I do know someone who might appreciate being tucked in at night. As I understand it, Honshoo Chizuru doesn't have a mother so maybe she'll let me tuck _her _in since _you_ seem to have out grown me." She watched her daughter's eyes go wide with shock and her mouth move desperately in search of words_. 'Hah, speechless! Well, at least she's done crying.' _Her chest flooded with love and pride._ 'You really are a good kid Tatsuki-chan, you've always have been. I couldn't be more proud.'_

Tatsuki tried hard to find the words but she really didn't even know where to start or what she wanted to say. The words her mother spoke and the look in the elder woman's face made it difficult. _'Is she serious? She's amused by this? I'm amusing her? She can't be serious.'_ Finally Tatsuki gave up. "You're serious, Mom?"

Shiori nodded and watched a whole myriad of emotions run across her daughter's face. It was like reading a funny book. "And she's welcome to use the front door, unless she prefers to continue breaking in and entering through the fire escape and your bedroom window." Shiori could see a thousand questions bursting behind her daughter's eyes.

"Yes, Tatsuki-chan of course I know." She shook her head as if to say, 'do you really think you're that clever to hide something so big right under my nose?' "I am the Raien Elite; did you think I would not be able to feel her presence in our apartment? Even if I weren't able to see and feel her energy, just how blind did you think I am, kiddo?" Shiori couldn't resist, she pinched her daughter's nose and ruffled her wild hair. "We'll talk about this some more later, ok?"

Tatsuki gave her mother a big smile and another emotion racked hug. "Thank you, thank you! You can tuck us in Mom, every night. You can pet me too Mom. I swear I'll never swat your hand ever away again." She gave her mother one last tight squeeze. "I just want you to be happy Mom, like you've always made me." Tatsuki had never been more sincere as she dropped her hug and took her mother's hand. "I honestly can't think of anyone more deserving."

Ryuuken listened intently but did not turn to watch the emotional exchange between his wife and the daughter he only knew from a distance. Instead, he kept his dangling son firmly against the wall and forced him to continue looking in the direction of his mother and sister. He watched Uryuu intently, the curves of his face as solid and emotionless as a mannequin despite the angry reiatsu that poured out from him, growing more potent by the second.

Soon, his reiatsu reeked with such disgusting and deep seeded hatred that both women seemed to be thinking the same thing as they turned their attention once again in his direction. _'Uryuu, why are you so angry?' _

The angry Quincy wanted them to understand just how unwelcome his father's presence was. _'How different would everything have been if she had raised me?' _He would never say such a thing to any of them out loud. The arrogant pride that had sustained him all these years would never allow it. He refused to entertain the notion that he really might be just an angry little boy who had gotten the short end of the stick. It was easier just to blame all of his unhappiness on his father.

"Tell me boy…" Ryuuken watched his son's attention snap back in his direction as he released the choking grasp he'd held. He leaned in so close, that they practically shared the same breath, and spoke in a barely audible voice. "What have you done to earn the esteemed respect you so childishly demand?"

"Unlike your sister, you do not know the meaning of the word respect." The elder Quincy took a step back and held his hand out a short distance, palm side up. "Uryuu…" His eyes penetrated right through to his son's very soul "… today I will break you."

A terrifying chill shot through Uryuu's body. His father had wished death and suffering upon him before. The man had rejoiced in his pain. But he had never, ever, caused chills of terror to ripple through him like this before. _'What does he mean? What is he going to do?'_ In the end, he admitted to himself that his bravado toward his father had always been false. Deep within him, Uryuu had always feared his father. He'd never been able to beat him.

Blue particles of energy begin to gather in the palm of the senior Quincy as he watched the shocked expressions form on his the faces of his children. "You should not be so surprised," he said as he placed his own Quincy cross on top of the twin crosses that had suddenly materialized and now rested securely in his grasp.

Uryuu and Tatsuki felt vulnerable. Instinctively and in complete disbelief, they rubbed at their naked left wrists. _'My cross!'_

Tatsuki took a few steps closer and gasped audibly while Uryuu simply held his breath. Instantly, they began to mourn the absence of their respective crosses and with it the strange yet calming second heart beat that they felt when joined with their holy relics. This peculiar pulse was something Uryuu had gotten accustomed to since he had received his Quincy powers. He was sure that no Quincy could fathom being separated from their cross. The artifact felt almost like a soul mate. As a matter of fact, if one were to cast a doubt on the veracity of his theories, then a single glance at his twin would be enough for it to be dispelled. Uryuu was certain that Tatsuki mirrored his own anguish.

"Who do you think made your Quincy crosses? You may be their master but I am their creator." Their mouths gapped in sickening disbelief as they watched Ryuuken snap his own Quincy cross in half. Confusion and disgust etched the twin's faces while they studied the broken relic and watched it cry tiny droplets of blood and energy. For the first time they realized, the crosses were alive. They watched in morbid fascination as their father's cross wept while its life was slowly forfeit. They could each feel its excruciating pain and sorrow.

'_ASSHOLE! Sorry excuse for a Quincy!'_ Uryuu raged silently_. 'What kind of Quincy would snap his own cross like a cracker?'_ he thought as his stomach wretched_. 'Ryuuken you sick bastard! You don't even have the decency to show remorse.'_

"Each Quincy cross is crafted only for the individual it is bound to." Ryuuken's emotionless tone steadfastly held the attention of his children. He could feel the angry heat radiating from both of them. "Do you know what lives inside a Quincy's cross, boy?" He gnarled toward Uryuu.

Uryuu looked up and shook his head once.

Despite the twins nagging desire to be reunited with their crosses and their hankering want to reproach their father for his deplorable actions, they couldn't. Instead they both stood on guard ready to attack should Ryuuken attempt to do the same with what was theirs. Uryuu couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn about the cross. And Tatsuki decided it was best just to follow her brother's lead. Besides, everything that was happening seemed to have nearly frozen them in place. They were mesmerized despite his father's morbid acts.

The mysteries of the Quincy cross had always fascinated Uryuu; it was somewhat of an obsession that he could never feed.

"The cross is a living creature with its own soul that changes over time, just as its master does. Though the cross is not the source of a Quincy's power, as many believe it to be, the powers of all Quincy will remain dormant until the cross and its master are physically united for the first time." As he spoke, Ryuuken watched the blood droplets and spirit energy that bled from his cross trickle downward absorbed by the other two crosses that rested in his palm.

"Inside each cross lives the truth of its master. That is why it is always changing." The elder Quincy watched his cross finally disappear. Only his wife knew him well enough to recognize the anguish his sacrifice was causing him while he watched a part of himself fade away.

Ryuuken turned impassively toward his bewildered daughter. His gaze made Tatsuki feel like an ant blistering under a magnifying glass. "The bond between master and relic is a strong one. Therefore, Arisawa Tatsuki, a Quincy's cross will change even if its master does not wear it." Even as he directed this explanation to Tatsuki he saw the confusion on both of their young faces.

"The cross is alive and has a soul of its own," he reiterated. "The spirit energy of that soul is bound to the spirit energy of its Quincy master from the very moment its young master is conceived. Because of the deep connection between the spirit of the master and the spirit of the cross, together they are referred to as the twin spirits. The physical cross a Quincy wears is merely a metal casing with a blessing placed on it. It's a vessel where the spirit of the cross can dwell; a holy house so to speak, that allows the spirit of the Quincy master and the spirit of the cross to bind together as one." He motioned for his daughter to come closer before he turned toward the silent woman in the background.

Shiori quietly nodded. A single tear rolled down her face as she gave him her blessing to continue. Solemnly she dropped her head and closed her eyes, just briefly, in silent lament for her husband's sacrifices, his offerings. Another tear fell, this time for her sadness, for her sacrifice. _'This can't be helped. There is no other way.' _ She looked at her estranged husband. _'He hurts… Ken-kun.' _

Shiori willed herself back to the task at hand and moved to stand between her children. She took their hands in hers.

"Mom?"… Tatsuki inquired. "You're scaring me."

Uryuu remained silent. Though unintentional, his sister had spoken for them both.

"Forgive us." Shiori's voice was quiet and shaken as she seemed to loose herself in her husband's eyes. _'Aishiteru wa… Ken-kun.'_

"Only your crosses know the truths of who you are." Before the twins could react, andbefore the last syllable left Ryuuken's mouth, he pressed his palms firmly into the foreheads of his children, paralyzing them in place while holding their respective Quincy crosses securely between his hand and their heads.

In unison, Shiori and Ryuuken chanted, "Twin spirits of these two twins, spirits of twin masters and spirits of twin crosses, obey your creators!"

Blinding rays of blue light burst forth from the young Quincies foreheads and shone brightly through the cracks of Ryuuken's hand, like visible rays of sunlight that penetrate the fissures of a cloudy sky.

The light seeped through the cracks of all the windows and all the doors. Not a moment later, three faces looked at the sight before them in fascination and horror.

"TATSUKI!" Chizuru lunged forward on instinct, but was held back by both Renji and Orihime. Still, she struggled to free herself. "What the hell are you two doing? LET GO OF ME!" She didn't know what was going on. "We need to do something!"

Orihime desperately wanted to wrap herself around her boy. She somehow knew that this was something that was supposed to happen, and yet she wanted to be with him, and be near him always or for as long as she could. She never wanted him to feel alone.

Amidst Chizuru's panicked frenzy, she heard a quiet and timid voice behind her.

"Chizuru-chan, don't be afraid. See, Shiori-san is with them. Shiori-san would never be a part of anything that would hurt Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan." She managed a slight smile in an effort to calm her friend who wasn't used to seeing these types of things. "Besides, Chizuru-chan, everything's blue." Her voice perked up. "They're just being Quincies."

Chizuru still felt a burning desire to run toward Tatsuki. It was only when she felt Orihime take her hand that she calmed enough to just stand back and watch.

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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Updates seem to be running at 1-2 weeks these days. It depends mostly on work.

_Thanks to those who continue reading. Please review, I really do rely on the reviews for valuable insight. I fix things and they help me determine certain undefined and future aspects of the story. _


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

**Unimaginably grateful thanks and apologies to my beta, Kitty-chan! **

Longest chapter to date

Please remember, Orihime woke up on Chapter two only 4.5 days ago, so even though this is a long story… it's still only been 4.5 days. Ichigo will be reintroduced; I do have minor plans for him, but again please remember - this isn't an Ichi story.

But in honestly, I completely forgot about Chad. hangs head in shame I will try and mix him in with the Ichi parts. Thank you for reminding me.

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**Chapter Edit History**

Nothing yet

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**Chapter Summary**

There is a death. All kinds of supernatural drama – really loaded chapter. Tatsuki and Uryuu finally have all of their questions about The Raien, the Quincy, their own relationships with one another, and their parents secretive past answered. There is lot about Ryuuken and Shiori's past. A new bad guy shows up, but it turns out he is already dead. We learn more about Ishida Ryuu (Tatsuki and Uryuu's older brother, the one who pretended to be Orihime's brother). The question of what the Raien Elite are is partially answered. Chizuru admits she got way more than she bargained for in her desire to be with Tatsuki.

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**CHAPTER****16**

…previously

"_The cross is alive and has a soul of its own," Ryuuken reiterated. "The spirit energy of that soul is bound to the spirit energy of its Quincy master from the very moment its young master is conceived. Because of the deep connection between the spirit of the master and the spirit of the cross, together they are referred to as the twin spirits."_

"_Forgive us." Shiori's voice was quiet and shaken as she seemed to loose herself in her husband's eyes. 'Aishiteru wa… Ken-kun.'_

"_Only your crosses know the truths of who you are." Before the twins could react, and before the last syllable left Ryuuken's mouth, he pressed his palms firmly into the foreheads of his children, paralyzing them in place while holding their respective Quincy crosses securely between his hand and their heads. _

_In unison, Shiori and Ryuuken chanted, "Twin spirits of these two twins, spirits of twin masters and spirits of twin crosses, obey your creators!"_

…and now

Two androgynous voices in perfect harmony resounded, clear as a sunny day in the heads of the Raien Priestess and her three Quincy. "We are the voices of the Twins Eternal. We accept your offering and recognize you as our creator, Ishida Ryuuken. What do you ask of us?"

According to Quincy legend, any ritual that called forth the spirit of the cross must be initiated by a Quincy who would be recognized as the true authoritarian or the true parent by all of the spirits involved. A spirit of the cross will not answer to anyone other than those whom are undeniably responsible for its existence. This person is known as the 'creator'. The creator bears the burden of trying to prove, beyond all doubt, that he is who he claims to be. Since Ryuuken is the biological father of both Tatsuki and Uryuu and the maker of their Quincy crosses, he was recognized as the indisputable creator of the twin spirits of his daughter and the twin spirits of his son. He was the father to the twin spirits of twins.

"The truths of creator and creation," spoke Ryuuken aloud in response to the tandem voices of the Twins Eternal that echoed in his head.

The attuned voices replied. "We will grant what you ask of us creator, but be warned. We are the infinite that the finite cannot hold. Our truths are too much for you to bear. If this request is truly your will, all mortal lives seeking to hold our eternal truths will be forfeit." There was brief pause before the Twins Eternal, asked once more. "What do you ask of us?"

Their united tone was eerie and warm despite their warning of certain death. A person had to either be foolish or so blindly dedicated to his cause for such lethal consequences to be taken lightly. Why else would someone make a request that seemed as futile as trying to fit all the waters of an infinite and mighty ocean into something as finite and fragile as the paper cup of human mortality?

"The truths of creator and creation," replied Ryuuken once more with such determined conviction that his resolve could not be doubted.

Neither Tatsuki nor Uryuu could speak nor move, but both their ears and their minds heard everything clearly.

'_MOM! What does that mean? Mortal lives will be forfeit?'_ Tatsuki screamed out in her head… _'STOP… why? Why are we doing this? What is this? STOP Mom!'_ Her caged voice fell to a whimper. _'You can't leave me.'_

Tatsuki knew the voices she heard in her head were the spirits of Uryuu's cross and her own. She knew that even though these imposing voices seemed to posses them, they still seemed to posses a certain pureness that suggested they would only speak words of truth.

While locked in her paralysis, Tatsuki tried to remember everything from Ryuuken's crash course on the Quincy cross. She began to brood over his words in search of a connection that might put her mind at ease.

… "_We are the Twins Eternal."_

… "_We are the infinite that the finite cannot hold."_

… "_Mortal lives will be forfeit."_

She felt like she was trapped in the ridiculously absurd and reoccurring dream she'd been having since she was a kid where left was right, hands were feet, and men wore large bunny suits to formal events instead of elegant kimonos or tuxedos. _'What the fucking hell! Did they just say that I'm immortal?' _

On the other hand, Uryuu was in a relatively calmer state of mind. He had read about this. However, in the same manner that he had never seriously entertained the thought that his cross might actually be a sentient being, he never actually believed that the Ritual of Truths was anything other than a Quincy legend. He always figured it was nothing more than a magical bedtime story parents would tell their wide-eyed young Quincies while tucking them in at night. He couldn't believe that the ritual which was intended to expose the knowledge sealed within the spirit of the cross was actually true.

The ritual would expose the knowledge of the crosses of both the creator and the created, parent and child, to all of the participants involved in the ceremony. Everything the crosses of Ryuuken, Tatsuki, and Uryuu knew would be absorbed into the spirits of the other. And, even though Shiori was neither Quincy nor recognized as a creator, she had physically connected herself to her beloved children by taking hold of their hands; thus binding her to the ceremony. She too would be exposed to the raw images, memories, feelings, emotions, and the spiritual essences that had shaped the hearts and forged the minds of her husband and her two youngest offspring.

The Quincies whose crosses participated in the ceremony held no hope of hiding anything about themselves from the others involved. This was a ritual of complete exposure. And in the end, when there is nothing left to share, the ritual would merge the twin spirits. The Quincy and the cross would no longer be two separate entities.

As soon as Uryuu figured out that his father was performing the Ritual of Truths he understood why the elder Quincy had sacrificed his own cross. He felt the unpleasant pangs of shame for having judged him so rashly. It was clear now, that if what Ryuuken said about a Quincy's cross was true, there was no more certain way to for him to be recognized as their creator than to have the very truth of which he was, his own twin soul, bleed its very essence into the other two crosses.

What he couldn't figure out was why. _'Why is this even necessary?'_ Uryuu thought. Everything seemed so drastic and blown out of proportion. But then again, he'd never known his father to act in such a way. For that reason alone he had to accept that whatever was going on and whatever was about to happen was necessary.

His father's words echoed in his head.

… "_Inside each cross lives the truth of its master."_

… "_Only your crosses know the truths of who you are." _

… "_The truths of creator and creation"_

Everyone, even Orihime, Chizuru, and Renji knew the moment the Twins Eternal had agreed to grant Ryuuken's request. It was hard to miss as the four bodies of each of the individuals who were flesh bound to the ritual appeared to have a stark reaction to some powerful and unseen force.

Shiori and Ryuuken both dropped unceremoniously to their knees and doubled over in excruciating pain. As a result, the connected Tatsuki and Uryuu were pulled down with them. The elder pair wanted to scream out, to find some release, but the persistent agony was so intense that no sound could be made.

The reaction was quite the opposite for the twins. They just seemed relaxed. The forces causing harm to their parents seemed to have no effect on either of them. In fact, neither Tatsuki nor Uryuu seemed to be aware of their parents' suffering at all.

The moment the ceremony began both Tatsuki and Uryuu felt the electric pulse of excitement ripple through their bodies. It captivated them. Some unknown force seemed to fill them with an unquenchable desire to press on and to allow them to become completely immersed in this spiritual journey that promised to grant the answers to so many different mysteries. And, with each passing moment they could feel themselves become more and more saturated with their own forgotten past.

The fist of the truths to be shared were the truths of past, the pasts of the created, the pasts of Tatsuki and Uryuu. Their first memories stretched as far back as the womb, to a time so near to conception that even their own mother, the Raien High Priestess whose understanding and awareness of energy was so incredible that it could only be described as divine in origin, wasn't even aware of them yet.

'_Amazing!'_ Tatsuki and Uryuu silently reveled as every moment of both their lives from birth till just moments ago replayed in their minds and in the minds of their parents with unblemished clarity. The family of four was awed by strange and unexpected circumstances that seemed to testify to the powerful bond between the siblings; a bond that fate had denied them for over a decade.

In one such occurrence the twins recalled a rather unique conversation they had with one another. It was an unlikely conversation, one of many, that occurred as they swam around in their mother's flat belly.

… '_Let's be both,' said one unborn twin to the other._

… '_We'll experience more that way,' said the other in reply._

… And just like that, the twins decided to be boy and girl.

This parentally chaperoned roller coaster ride known as the Ritual of Truths persisted through every second of their collective pasts. It was laced with amazement and wonder, as equally as embarrassment and shame. It was during the most private moments of their lives that the trapped siblings discovered the true meaning of the concept of complete exposure. They decided there were just too many things they didn't want anyone else knowing about them. But, despite how much Tatsuki and Uryuu struggled against the paralysis of the ritual in a futile attempt to break free and force its end, they failed. The siblings were unable to keep their most private moments and private thoughts hidden any longer.

The twins let out a silent sigh of relief when the chronicles of their pasts had finished. They were both certain that if they opened their eyes they'd find themselves covered in the rich full body blush that seemed to characteristically speak of incalculable embarrassment.

'_CRAP! I'll be grounded for the rest of my life,'_ thought the immobilized Tatsuki. _'Mom knows everything I've ever even thought about doing! She's going to keep me away from all living things and chain me up in a dark basement and put a damn chastity belt on me!' _She couldn't help but panic.

Despite her desolate thoughts of being imprisoned by her own mother, Tatsuki felt sad, sad for Uryuu. She realized just how different their upbringing had made them.

Now Tatsuki knew of her brother's past, she knew what made him the cranky stand-offish prick that he always seemed to be. Ever since they were separated, the only time her brother had ever felt anything close to love and happiness was when he was alone with his Sensei or when he was alone with Orihime. All other times he either locked himself away as a recluse or walked around making sure everyone disliked him so much that they never bothered him. Tatsuki was certain that after everything she'd just experienced that ninety percent of his personality was just a lie or a protective shell. She would even bet that he really didn't even know who he was underneath that hardened exterior he'd created.

Right then Tatsuki vowed to herself not to let her mother lock her way if for no other reason than to be with her brother. _'We were meant to be together, from the beginning.' _She had recovered all of her own memories and through the magic of the ritual she had lived his whole life in an instant. It was no longer weird to think of him as a brother, instead she felt like crying because they really were two parts of a whole that should never have been separated to begin with. _'I love him in a way that I can never love anyone else.' _

'_CRAP! There's no way I can look any of them in the eye again,'_ thought Uryuu. _'But at least everything I did was all normal stuff!'_ If he could move he'd probably turn and give his sister a faux-scolding look. The kind that said - you've been a realllly bad girl! Still, he took solace in the fact that his fetish hentai of a sister had much more to worry about than he did when it came to parents finding things out. Part of him was wickedly amused by that very thought.

However, one thing was undeniable and stood out in stark contrast. Uryuu's life had been completely different from Tatsuki's. It was a lot more stressful. He had to constantly be on guard. He shut himself away from everything because he didn't really know how to deal with anything that wasn't simply black and white. A learned trait he seemed to have inherited from his father. In that respect he was the exact opposite of his twin. Uryuu was completely restrained and allowed himself to be tied down by the circumstances in his life. But he had to wonder, especially after this weekend with Orihime, _'If my life were more like Tatsuki's would I be like that too?' _There was so much about his sister's life and personality that he envied.

Now that he knew the kind of mother Shiori-san was, knew the kind of life his sister had lived, and understood how kind hearted, honorable and free spirited Tatsuki really was, he could no longer deny it. Uryuu wished that Tatsuki and he had been raised together, by their mother. Damn his selfish asshole of a father!

After they had exchanged all of the truths of their pasts, Uryuu felt an amnesia like darkness within him fade. It was a darkness he didn't even know was there until it began to dissipate. The darkness was replaced by a comforting warmth. It was a special kind of warmth that was rooted deep inside of him. This wasn't a new sensation, just one that had been so carefully hidden away that it had almost been forgotten. '_Tatsuki_,' It was her that he could feel. Even before he was aware of himself, he was aware of her. Tatsuki was the first thing he could ever remember feeling. He remembered when they were babies, he could always feel the unique and warm sensation that was her. It was a constant feeling of security and belonging, but that disappeared shortly after they were separated.

Now, after such a long absence, this feeling of her, of his sister, was so strong that it could only be described as the miraculous re-growth of a once missing limb. A limb he couldn't ever fathom loosing in the first place. Even though they were always in the same class, Uryuu honestly didn't know how he'd lived so long being separated from his sister. He loved her most of all. _'How could I not?'_ thought Uryuu.

Almost instantly, the focus of the ritual shifted. Two of the three crosses had shared their pasts. It was now time for the third cross to reveal its life. Without pause, a new lifetime of feelings and memories, a life that belonged to neither Tatsuki nor Uryuu saturated their minds as well as Shiori's. This lifetime held the memories of a father that the twins never knew. They were the memories of the boy, the lover, the proud Quincy, and the husband that Shiori so dearly loved.

Through three separate minds the life of Ishida Ryuuken was relived in first person, every instant from birth to present. Again, it was a lifetime in the blink of an eye. They lived every thing; they lived every part. They felt all of his light and shared all of his dark.

As the history and truths of Ishida Ryuuken unraveled, one thing was certain - neither Tatsuki nor Uryuu would ever be able to think of their father the same way again. Even though Tatsuki didn't have much of a platform to base her own opinion of Ishida Ryuuken on, having just lived her brother's life she now understood exactly why he so passionately despised the man. Thus, both twins loathed Ishida Ryuuken with equal venom when his story began.

There was so much they didn't know. Uryuu never thought of his father a baby, a small boy, or a teenager. He never really wondered what the elder Quincy's life had been like. He could never picture his father caring about anything other than the hospital or money. It was unfathomable to even try and imagine that such a cold hearted bastard even knew how to laugh or had ever experienced love of any kind.

One by one the moments of Ishida Ryuuken's life took shape.

Shiori cherished every image and every feeling that pressed through her. She never doubted that the man whom she'd loved her whole life really did love her just as much in return. Still, it was one thing to know or believe, and a completely different thing to truly understand.

The Priestess couldn't believe how truly remarkable The Ritual of Truths really was. A moment ago she'd lived her daughter's life and miraculously she was given the gift of being a part of everything in Uryuu's life that she had missed out on. Now, she was living the life of the man she loved. Through the magic and the power of this ritual she finally understood just how cherished and adored she really was, by both her husband and her daughter. Despite the excruciating pain that racked her body and the anguished trials of sacrifice and sorrow that paved the foundations of her life, Shiori could feel nothing short of blessed.

Three minds were all living through the same moments in time. They watched the circumstances that shaped an innocent baby boy into a miserable and misunderstood man.

With eyes blazing in awe and unabashed idol worship they saw a young boy stare at an older man with a mustache. The boy watched in fascination as the older man willed a blue arrow which materialized out of thin air.

… '_Papa, when I grow up will I be able to do that too? Please Papa please. I want to know everything. I want to be a great Quincy just like you!' _

They reveled in the surprisingly sweet, often intimate, and private moments of Ishida Ryuuken's life. He was happiest when he was with Shiori. Those were the times where the hidden side of him shined the brightest.

The promised bride…

_Even when she was just five, his Shi-chan was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on. No one would ever compare. One way or another, they were destined to be married._

"_Ryuuken, my son, you are a special boy. You are perhaps the most gifted Quincy our dying race has ever known. But, sadly we are the last of a proud heritage. And, just as the burden of our race's survival was once mine, it is now yours. Your mother was promised to me by my father, and today I promise you your own bride. She is a beautiful little girl. And, like you she talented beyond expectation. Together I expect that the two of you will create something quite incredible. The combination of her abilities and yours could create a new breed of Quincy, a Quincy far more powerful than anything we could imagine… the Exalted Quincy! So come my boy, today you will meet your future, and her name is Arisawa-Shiori." _

_A ten year old Ryuuken sat respectfully and tried to digest everything his honored father had just professed. His future was planned, he was to marry a girl he never met in order to breed powerful offspring, and the future of the proud Quincy race rested heavily on his shoulders. _

A special time…

_It was a typical day after school. Surrounded by a sanctuary of trees a young girl pretends to do her math homework while she steals coy glances out of the corner of her eye. Adoringly she watched a very serious looking fifteen year old Quincy prodigy stand proudly on a rock in the middle of a stream, training, pushing himself to his limits and striving for perfection. He would do whatever was necessary to be the best Quincy he could be._

"_Aye Shi-chan!" the boy said after their lips parted. "If you weren't so cute I'd have to be mad at you for always messing up my training! I didn't bring any extra clothes with me today," declared a soaking wet young Ryuuken with a mischievous smirk. He couldn't help but smile adoringly at the little priestess in his arms who would often do weird things like that, like charging at him when he got too wrapped up in his training. Her tackle-hug assaults always sent them flying off the rock and into the stream. Each time she did that he'd get drenched from head to toe, but it was always worth it because every time he'd find himself tangled up in a beautiful mess of wet giggling girl. _

Love is what matters most…

_Ryuuken was now a young man of twenty years. He proudly wore the regal blue and white of a Quincy as he confessed his sins with dignity and professed his love passionately in the presence of a much older man._

"_Arisawa-sama, I ask for your blessing to have Shiori's hand in marriage. It is not because of her condition or our previous arrangement that I wish to marry her." Ryuuken looked up with fiery conviction burning behind his eyes. "It is because I love her! But, it is because of her condition that I ask her hand in marriage while she is so young. Our first child will be born before her sixteenth birthday. I wish my child to be born honorably, a child of a husband and a wife." _

_A moment later an excited Ryuuken runs faster than he has ever ran before. He was in such a hurry, he was so happy. Shiori and the twins could feel his excitement; they could feel his overwhelming love as he ran full speed toward the Raien shrine where his love trained her unique abilities. Now that he had the most honored Arisawa-sama's blessing, the young Quincy wished to propose as soon as possible._

'_Shi-chan, I will always do what I feel is best for you, for our child. Always! There is nothing more important than those I wish to protect,' Ryuuken swore silently to himself as he rounded the corner and saw the small shrine he'd been racing to get to._

Shiori, Tatsuki, and Uryuu saw everything through their father's eyes. They did everything from fall in love with Shiori, to battling with Shinigami and Hollow, to changing dirty diapers.

Through the memories of their father, Tatsuki and Uryuu both met and fell in love with the older brother they she never really knew. Ishida Ryuu was kind and gentle. He was always smiling, if for no other reason than to get those around him to smile too. There was no denying he was Shiori's son. And there certainly was no denying that his presence and Shiori's presence played a great role in shaping Orihime's caring and selfless temperament.

Fifteen years their elder, Ryuu was the oldest of the three children of Ryuuken and Shiori. And, at the young age of sixteen, with his mother's guidance, he was entrusted with the task to be the surrogate brother and unofficial guardian of the universe's most invaluable resource and treasure, a baby girl named Orihime.

Even though Ryuu had unprecedently powerful Quincy blood coursing through his veins, the aura that flowed from him was welcoming, compassionate, and forgiving. The very heart and soul of Ryuu was Raien. The energy that surrounded their older brother seemed to resonate in perfect harmony with their mother's aura. So much so, that when it came time for Ryuu to claim his birthright, he respectfully declined to wear the Quincy Cross that promised to awaken his dormant Quincy abilities.

Ryuu was simply too much like his mother. He was not a warrior. He did not desire to be a part of the offensive and destructive heritage of the Quincy.

As Uryuu sailed through this chapter of his father's life, he was completely taken by surprise at how happy his father was with Ryuu's decision to renounce the Quincy lifestyle. What surprised him even more was how sickeningly furious his grandfather was. Sadly, the day Ryuu turned his back on the Quincy lifestyle was the last day Ishida Souken ever spoke to his first born grandchild.

'_Sensei…'_ Uryuu couldn't believe his grandfather would reject his own flesh and blood for refusing to embrace the way of the Quincy.

The life of Ishida Ryuuken continued to unravel with one unexpected twist after another. While Tatsuki finally got to meet her older brother, her father, and the love struck boy her mother had eagerly chosen to devote herself to, Uryuu found that he could no longer hate his father with the same intensity as before. Instead his intense hatred was replaced with a desperate sense of pity and a raging anger.

Both Tatsuki and Uryuu finally understood why their parents chose to keep them apart from one another.

'_Baka, baka, baka!'_ Uryuu spat angrily to himself. '_Everything you ever did for me was all wrong!'_

The thought that the family broke apart so many years ago because Ryuuken and Shiori were trying to protect both Uryuu and Tatsuki was almost too much. If he hadn't seen it himself, if he hadn't just lived through it from the first person perspective of Ishida Ryuuken himself, he would never have believed it.

'_Ryuuken…!'_ It was the only thought Uryuu could muster in his disbelief.

He was simply a father, a father who did what he thought was best to protect his children from an unpleasant life. Like any good father, he tried to keep his children safe, to shield them from the storms he knew they were certain to come up against. Ryuuken and Shiori did not want their children to live with all the fighting, the warring, the politics, and the expectations that they had to suffer through. They knew that because of the potential power the twins harnessed that things would be far worse for them. He understood that his children, Shiori's children, were special.

Uryuu finally understood why his father never wanted him to become Quincy, at least not at such a young age. He finally understood why Ryuuken had turned away from his grandfather. Behind his father's back, without his father's blessing, it was Ishida Souken who gave Uryuu the holy relic, the Quincy cross, responsible for partially unlocking powers so vast that no mortal could possibly fathom.

'_Sensei just wanted my power, our power?'_ Uryuu didn't want to believe that he and his sister had been pawns from the beginning. _'That can't be right. Shiori-san said that he loved me very much, that I was his pride and joy! But if I had renounced the Quincy like Ryuu had, would I still have been Sensei's pride and joy?'_

If his grandfather had gotten to Tatsuki too then the full force of the power of the Twins Eternal would have been awakened. _'Children that young are too immature and impressionable to be reasonable for such power. Everyone would just want us for or power!'_ As the surreal truth took root, Uryuu understood that his life could have been far worse than it had been. He realized that without his parents to hold back the wolves he and his sister could have fallen victim to someone's manipulation and as a result might been responsible for countless deaths and catastrophes of unspeakable consequence.

The mere thought of that much innocent blood on his hands sent a cold shiver down Uryuu's spine.

Neither he nor his sister would have ever been able to have the opportunity to make a life of their own or have a childhood that could even remotely be considered normal. _'Would I even have any friends at all?'_ Uryuu had to wonder. _'Would we have been forever tied down to the responsibilities of our birth?'_ Suddenly, all those bad movies about unhappy kings who cursed the responsibilities of their birthrights, like, the Prince and the Pauper, made sense to him.

Ryuuken and Shiori never wanted to part. Shiori thought that they could find a way to protect their small family if they stayed together, but Ryuuken didn't want to chance it. Ishida Ryuuken was head of the family, in the end it was his decision. They did it, both Shiori and Ryuuken, for the sake of the children they loved. Nothing more than parents of exceptional children who tried to protect the ones that mattered most from being pawns in someone else's power hungry chess game. This chess game was rooted in the most unsavory of Quincy traditions that dated back to a time long before the birth of Christ.

It felt like two hands griped his heart, twistingly it savagely in opposing directions. _'FUCKING BAKA! All wrong… all wrong…'_ Uryuu felt tears well up, _'Everything turned out all wrong, but for all the right reasons!' _

Uryuu found it ironic that a lot of the things his father had tried to protect him from happened anyway.

After all, he was still a proud Quincy. Uryuu refused to let his grandfather's action tarnish the entire race. Uryuu was proud that he did not turn his back on the Quincy as his brother had. As more events unfolded, it became apparent that it was also no coincidence that he and Tatsuki were separated shortly after Orihime showed up. Ishida Souken knew who Orihime was, and in his continued obsession to bring even greater power under the Quincy banner, tried to set up and arranged marriage between Orihime and Uryuu.

Even separated from his sister and without his grandfather's influence he would have chosen to become a Quincy. He rather enjoyed the dangerous situations he got himself into even though no parent would wish such experiences on their child. And just as his father was certain that he would marry Shiori, Uryuu was certain that one way or another he would end up marrying Orihime. _'Fucking baka! You should have just kept us all together!' _

If it wasn't the reality of his life, Uryuu might have found the whole thing funny. Where he was concerned, life with his father was like an unfortunate sitcom where some poor bastard secretly pours his heart and soul into cooking the most fantastic dinner for a special someone but just makes so many little mistakes along the way that the meal, despite its significance, turns out to be a complete disaster. Nothing at all like it was intended to be.

Uryuu wasn't certain when it happened, just that it did. Somewhere along the journey through his father's life his beloved Sensei, his grandfather, became the villain and his father the well intentioned but unsuccessful and tragic hero.

In the eyes of his youngest child, Ishida Ryuuken was no longer a cold hearted and sadistic prick. Instead he was just a man who wanted nothing but the best for the ones who mattered most. Yet the moment Ryuuken made the decision to go against Shiori's recommendations and the moment he made the decision to leave half of his family behind, he'd been nothing more than a shell of his former self.

Uryuu understood now why everyone always defended his father. _'They were all right!'_ he thought as he realized he had formed his opinion of his father when he was just a small boy. Again he felt shame. Shame for stubbornly holding onto the feelings and ideals he had as a five year old boy. Refusing to ever grow or even take a second look back. The love was always there, the good intent was always there, but Uryuu had realized that all the warmth his father ever had, all the warmth the man had ever felt, came from Shiori. Without Arisawa Shiori to hold his hand, nothing seemed colder than the man who raised him, Ishida Ryuuken.

'_Would I be like that without Orihime?'_ He thought for a moment then silently scoffed at himself. _'I am like that now. Without Orihime around, I'm just like my father. Hell, with Orihime around I am just like my father and Shiori-san!'_

Uryuu just couldn't ignore how alike he and his father really were. The hind sight made everything seem entirely too disturbing. He didn't want to end up like his father. He didn't want his children to ever fear him or think him cold and heartless. _'Something's got to change.'_

The pain was agonizing for Ryuuken as the twin's crosses seared into and branded the sensitive flesh of his palms. As the bearer of the crosses he would be unable to pry his hands away until the ritual was complete.

Yet, all the pain and everything he would end up sacrificing today would be well worth it. He never really knew either of his younger children, but thanks to this ritual he no longer felt like a stranger to them. All of the memories, theirs and his, filled him with a mountain of regrets. If he knew then what he knew now – all of their lives would be different. All of their lives would have been better if he had just listened to his wife, trusted her strength, and worked through the obstacles as a family instead of hiding from them.

When the past truths of all three crosses had played out, there was only the truth of eternity left to be revealed.

"We thank you father for all that you've done," said the united voices of the Twins Eternal in a somber and respectful tone, but this time out loud, through the enraptured lips of Tatsuki and Uryuu. "Your life, your lessons, and your love will live on through us, for eternity."

An eerie feeling filled the room when the mystery clad siblings seemed to usher in the final phase of the ceremony.

"Always traveling through darkness, because somewhere there is light

Reliving lifetimes in a single moment

Seeing eternity in the blink of an eye

All but one begins, but nothing ever ends"

The twin spirits of master and cross had begun to merge. Things known, things not known, and things intended to remain private or hidden had been exposed. The Ritual of Truths was coming to a close.

Sensing the end was near, Ryuuken used the unrelenting physical connection he had to his children's foreheads as leverage as he broke through the paralysis and pulled them violently back toward him to gain the momentum needed to thrust his body forward and wedge himself between Tatsuki and Uryuu. With a loud grunt, laced with unfathomable pain and determination, the elder Quincy managed one last miraculous burst of strength born of nothing more than sheer stubbornness and devoted love. Ryuuken fought through the pain and knocked his wife out of the way, thus severing Shiori's connection to the ritual, saving her life.

"SHI-CHAN!" Ryuuken cried out in agony with his last breath.

"KEN-KUN!" Shiori screamed in horror as she slammed into the wall behind her and watched the brilliant fire in her beloved's eyes fade to nothingness. Silent tears of heartbreak strew down her face. Though his death was expected, the knowledge did nothing to lessen the pain.

'_He loved me.'_ She whispered to no one in a raspy broken voice. Shiori balled her fists up tightly. A part of her was now missing. The happiness and comfort that only he could provide her was now a feeling she knew she could never hope to feel again. There were just some holes in a person's heart that were so special they could only be filled by one person. _'I love him.' _

Shiori couldn't take her eyes off of Ryuuken's body. He'd always been with her in one way or another, for as long as she could remember. Everything wonderful and horrible in her life happened either with him by her side or because of him. She desperately wanted to cradle him in her lap, hold him close, just one last time but she couldn't. His final effort in life would have been in vain if she made physical contact and rejoined the ceremony.

'_It couldn't be helped. This is the only chance we had left.'_ Though the reality of the situation helped calm Shiori's mind, but it did nothing at all for her heart.

Slowly the regal blue light of the Quincy that had decorated ritual the thus far began to fluidly intertwine with a new presence, a brilliant and pure white light. A light so luminous it should have been blinding, but instead it was soft and gentle.

Orihime's powers, The Power of the Heart of the Universe, were a radiant hue of gold and yellow, Quincy were blue, and it seemed that those who were truly divine, those who could even be considered the gods of gods, were a fitting pure shade of brilliant white.

As the dancing blue and white lights became more saturated the twins' relaxed bodies seem to transcendentally levitate and hover slightly above ground, towing the dead weight of their father between them. His mass seemed nothing more than a feather to them.

The priestess could tell by the white lights that began to swarm around her children and engulf the brilliant blue hue of the Quincy that the mortal truths and knowledge of both past and present had been revealed. All that was left was for the spirits of the cross to unveil the unfathomable secrets of eternity to their twin masters.

Shiori remembered their words_. 'We are the infinite that the finite cannot hold. Our truths are too much for you bear.' _ And she understood as she sat watching the elegant display of light and power that filled the room while quietly mourning the death of her husband. _'This is what they said we could not hold. This is what they said would kill us. This, the immortal truths that lie within the power of the white lights.' _ It was as beautiful as it was frightening. _'This is the color of a truth even too great for Orihime to hold.' _

Shiori felt a sickening vise grip strangle at her heart when she watched his glasses slide of Ryuuken's face and drop to the floor. _'We were supposed to go together. He pushed me away just in time. Baka! My beautiful stubborn baka of a Quincy!'_ And even though her heart felt empty, her memories of him could still fill her with enough warmth to force a faint smile to cross her lips. _'Stubborn fool from the beginning to the end. Some things never change.' _

An unexpected movement forced the lamenting priestess to momentarily pry her eyes away from her husband's body. She sat and watched as Tatsuki and Uryuu reached an arm out toward the other, locking their palms tightly by lacing their fingers. They filled the gap in the Ritual's circle where she once stood.

The moment Tatsuki and Uryuu's palms met their eyes shot open in unison. Both Renji and Chizuru gasped and instinctively took a cautious step back when they noticed that the sibling's eyes were nothing but solid black. In that same instant Chizuru felt Orihime's body stiffen against her own. The red head turned to face her auburn haired friend, and instantly she yanked her hand away from Orihime's grasp. Chizuru shrieked back in horror at what she saw before mindlessly slamming into a speechless Renji.

"Orihime!" gasped both Renji and Chizuru.

This was the first time either Renji or Chizuru had witnessed one of Orihime's personality lapses.

There were now three sets of black eyes, as dark as a moonless and cloudy night. They all fell onto the limp body of Ishida Ryuuken as he hung lifelessly. Still, he dangled like a weightless ragdoll, strung up by his ritual bound hands to the foreheads of his children. He was the perfect picture of martyrdom.

"They've awoken," whispered a still and emotionless Orihime. "They woke up crying."

Chizuru looked confusedly toward Tatsuki. _'Woke up? Crying?'_ As far as Chizuru could tell, her Suki-chan, hell all three of them, just looked vacantly possessed. The frightened girl turned a determined glare back toward Orihime. And, threading together every ounce of fortitude she could gather, Chizuru grasped Orihime and forced her to turn and meet eye to eye. Pitch black met emerald green. "What's happening, Orihime? Tell me! Please tell me." She begged. "How did they wake up? How do you know they are crying? Is Tatsuki ok?"

Chizuru's resolve failed as she came crashing to her knees, in tears and unable to pull her eyes away from the disturbing sight before her. "Please Orihime. Please tell me. Why am I the only one who's scared?" With each word her voice became softer, till it was just a whisper. "Why am I the only one who thinks this is strange?"

Renji had seen some pretty messed up stuff before, but nothing compared to this. He dropped down to his knees behind the girl, and in an attempt to comfort her he placed his hands on her shoulders before speaking softly. "You're not the only one Chizuru. My understanding of all of this is just about the same as yours."

Renji looked up at Orihime hoping to find some answers. When their eyes met, he was stunned to find that the timid, silly, and bouncy girl he'd come to know over the years wasn't the one looking back at him. The girl looking back him had a presence that was so regal, so commanding, and so powerful that he felt like a humbled, powerless, and insignificant being. Still, it felt right to bow before her. He felt some strange instinct to cling to her as if she were the answer to everything, the one who could fill his every void.

'_Kami-sama?'_ Renji thought. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her unblinking stare and her expressionless face. His mind seemed to swim around inside of Orihime's pitch black eyes. Suddenly he wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid of her or anything. "Kami-sama!" He bowed as low as he could, but the way he saw it, there was no way to properly display the kind of respect that she was deserved.

"Kami-sama?" Said Chizuru as she watched Renji's drastic and confusing change of attitude. _ 'Where the hell is that coming from? He's gone crazy too? Now I really am all alone!'_ she thought in horror.

A voice she knew echoed a reply in her head. "You are never alone."

'_Orihime? Is that you?'_ she thought to herself as she looked up, only to find Orihime staring vacantly in Uryuu's direction. _'Oh great! Now I am going crazy too, hearing stuff and having two sided conversations in my head. She's not even paying attention, how could she answer.'_

Chizuru sighed, still fighting back her desire to grab a hold of Tatsuki and interrupt the twisted family reunion that continued to unravel. _'Tatsuki-love, please be ok. Please don't be hurt. Please don't leave me!'_ Tears welled up in her eyes once again. _'Do I even belong here?'_

Orihime's soft voice resounded in her head once again, the rare tone of a mature and serious Orihime. This was a side of her Hime-chan that she rarely ever got to experience. Still, it was a familiar voice that calmed her. It was sweet and pleasant. _"Hai Chizuru-chan, I am paying attention even if I do not look. There are many ways to communicate. But what I have to say is for you alone so this way is best."_ Chizuru glanced over at Renji who'd finally resumed to his previous stance of silently watching The Ritual. She didn't understand why Renji couldn't be included in the conversation, but she decided not to argue and just accept the voice in her head. Despite how crazy it seemed, this silent conversation was the easiest of the day's oddities to accept.

She continued to listen_, "You have no reason to feel any fear. They are fine Chizuru-chan. They are in no physical pain, but they woke up crying, mourning the loss of the one who created them. Their father is dead._"

The flood of tension seeped away. She chose to believe the voice in her head when it told her that Tatsuki wasn't in any pain, but knowing that a dead body was mere feet away from her would have been too much on top of everything else. For the time being, Chizuru decided to ignore that.

"_What do you mean woke up?"_ Chizuru silently asked.

"_I can tell you this now because now Tatsuki-chan knows, and because Tatsuki-chan wants me to. Like me, she is watching you too even if it doesn't seem that way. She's worried about you Chizuru-chan."_ Orihime's voice whispered in Chizuru's head.

"_She's… watching me?"_ Chizuru continued to stare blankly at Tatsuki_. "You're worried about me? How the hell would Orihi…"_ Chizuru's thoughts were interrupted by Orihime.

"_Pay attention Chizuru-chan, my time is short so I can only explain once."_ Orihime continued, _"Chizuru-chan, your Tatsuki-chan and my Ury-kun are special. Two of a type of being that weren't ever supposed to exist. They are natural anomalies created by a series of unique events that occurred over many millennia. They are the unforeseen results of pure circumstance and selective Quincy breeding."_

Orihime paused a moment to let her friend digest her words and to allow her a moment to mentally fortify herself for the type of story that was to come. _"Ishida Ryuuken's entire bloodline is a history of pure and untainted Quincy lineage. Quincy marriages have always been arranged. The sole intention behind this tradition is to breed stronger Quincy, to build them up from one generation to the next. As a result of their own greed, their arrogance, their endless warring, and their breeding programs the Quincy have become nearly extinct trying to create a their ideal Quincy by forcing natural evolution. They call this ideal the Exalted Quincy."_

Chizuru sat quietly and listened. All she wanted was to be with Tatsuki, she didn't want or need any of this, but she was a part of it now and she would take it all in. She couldn't forget how shaken up Tatsuki was when she held her in the tub last night, how tightly her raven haired champ clung to her, desperately seeking some kind of comfort while she struggled to understand the mountain of reality that had been so abruptly dropped on her. Chizuru knew that regardless of how disjointed she felt about all of this, her Suki-chan felt worse. And, she wasn't about to abandon her now.

Orihime continued to soundlessly explain. _"Ishida Ryuuken was the strongest pure blooded Quincy to ever be born. It was believed that he was the pinnacle of Quincy power. In other words, a pure blooded Quincy could not become any stronger than him. It was decided that the only way to breed a more powerful Quincy was to breed outside of the race in an attempt add new power. In search of greater power, Ishida Ryuuken's father discovered a tiny religious-based faction called the Raien. Through research he learned that the female leaders of this group, the High Priestesses or the Raien Elite, were not just figure heads but also individuals with true power. Power similar to Quincy power, which are both believed to be divine in origin."_

"_These priestesses are rare and very hard to find, and even though he found no proof that the powers of the High Priestess could be passed on through birth he gambled that it was so and arranged a marriage between his prodigal son and the only Raien High Priestess he could find, Arisawa Shiori. Ishida Ryuuken is the first in his bloodline to marry and breed with a non Quincy."_

"_The Raien High Priestesses are given their gifts individually by their creator - by me, my true self. They are my servants and my guardians who act according to my will. Everything about them has been greatly distorted through the words of man, but the Raien Elite are what mankind refer to as Angels in the New Testament. Although, the Priestesses themselves are unaware of their origins. So, Shiori-san does not know why she has the power that she does, she does not know the full truth behind the ideals she blindly devotes herself to, and she is unaware of the fact that even though her body changes her essence, her soul, is ancient."_

Chizuru's surprised gasp was audible. The girl wondered if there really was something behind Renji's proclamation of 'Kami-sama', but she didn't interrupt. She continued to listen to Orihime's tale. It was truly too creepy and outlandish to be true, but…

"_Ishida Ryuuken's father, Ishida Souken, was incorrect in his assumption that the powers of the High Priestess would be passed on simply through genetics. This was something he discovered when his first grandson, Ishida Ryuu was born with only Quincy power, powers greater than his father but not as a result of his mother's genetics. He did inherit his mother's temperament and compassion though. Still, other circumstances led to Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan receiving all the powers of both the prodigal Quincy and the Raien Elite." _

"_Shortly after Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan were conceived, and before Shiori-san was aware of her pregnancy, she attempted for the first and last time what the Raien call the Rite of Purity. This is nothing more than the ability to transform or dematerialize the mind and body into a state of pure and conscious energy. A task that should be simple for any Raien High Priestess after it is learned, almost like riding a bike. It was only after Shiori had spent an exhaustive amount of effort to finally achieve this state of pure energy that she realized she was three minds and three bodies, not just one. She panicked. She knew it would be difficult to just to put herself back together the way she was. She didn't have the strength or ability to restore all of them, and she feared what might happen to her unborn twins if she tried."_

"_She was saved by her own children. With the help of Shiori-san's abilities, Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan found a way to access their extraordinary Quincy abilities to manipulate energy and help their mother. Together the three of them pieced themselves back together. In the process, the twins gained her power. The combined powers of the prodigal Quincy and the Raien Elite would be enough to create Ishida Souken's ideal Exalted Quincy. But something else happened, something that could never be planned, something that made them far more special and powerful than a simple Exalted Quincy."_

Chizuru felt dizzy. Everything was fine the way it was. Now, apparently the sweet busty girl whose body she lusted after was a god, the temperamental girl she loved was a god whose mother was an angel, a formerly powerful dead guy was a hanging in mid air, a death god was standing behind her, something really bad was supposed to happen, and apparently not one person between all of them actually knew about everything. They all seemed to know bits and pieces.

Chizuru was thankful that she was already on her knees. The room was spinning so wildly out of control that she knew she'd passed out if she were standing. Especially since Orihime's voce kept on, still adding new elements to this already massive pile of surrealism.

"_As a result of the trauma and the measures which were taken to avoid certain disaster, Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan somehow changed themselves. They somehow transformed themselves in a way that made them independent of everything. They became neutral, able to exist in a state of complete stability under any circumstance."_

"_See Chizuru-chan, all things, living and non-living depend upon something else to help them continue to exist once they've been created. They all fit somewhere to help maintain the balance of nature, all things but three: the one who created the infinite universes and the Twins Eternal - my Ury-kun and your Suki-chan." _

"_Even though Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan were born sixteen years ago, they have lived in a state of dormancy and repression because they were kept apart from one another. They can never die Chizuru-chan. I suspect that is why they have chosen to call themselves the Twins Eternal because that is what they are."_

"_You wanted to know what I meant when I said they woke up crying, and now that you know the circumstances of their existence, you should understand what I meant. Ishida Ryuuken has forced the hand of fate and given his life to free this knowledge. It was his hope; it is Shiori-san's hope, that their children's latent knowledge and abilities might be able prevent another much larger disaster. And, since there is no time left to wait for answers that could prevent this disaster to unravel naturally, the situation has come to this. Otherwise, I suspect that Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan would still not know that they were related."_

Chizuru somehow, in the mist of Orihime's the inconceivable story, found that her eyes had drifted away from Tatsuki. _"Orihime, what are you?" _She asked as sound of her voice echoed in awe and astonishing disbelief, but it seemed that Orihime was through talking.

Orihime didn't want to scare her friend any more. Still, it helped ease the pain she felt to pretend like she was still talking to Chizuru. '_I am everything that is in this Universe Chizuru-chan, but I made a horrible mistake.'_ Orihime thought to herself. Though her face betrayed nothing, she was racked with immeasurable amounts of shame and guilt.

'_I love everyone. I love everything. How could I not?'_ Sadness weighed heavily on her chest. If Orihime's thoughts could be read, there would be only one thing that would make her word scary - they were the literal truth, pure and simple. _'I am everyone, I am everything. Without a Heart everything will perish.'_

Chizuru felt like her mind seemed light years away from her body. _'How can anything bad happen if all of this crap is true?'_

She bit hard on her lip and gasped as her eyes flew wide open. She seemed oblivious to the thin trail of blood that began to drip down her chin. Chizuru wasn't sure how, but it happened. Even if she couldn't manage to keep everything in line, some foreboding omen filled her to the depths of her soul; it sent chills through her body. Her skin prickled in goose bumps.

'_They're all scared.'_ Chizuru thought as she reasoned out that people are only this frantic when they were afraid of something that was usually bigger than them, something that could yield a very unsavory consequence. _'What's so big that even they can't handle with all their supposed power?' _The only thing she could come up with… _'Armageddon!'_

'_Orihime, Ishida… Suki-chan, what are you?' _She whispered softly to herself just before something else demanded her attention.

In an instant the atmosphere changed. It seemed the ceremony had ended just as abruptly as it had begun. In that moment only one man held the spotlight. Everyone's eyes turned to follow the sickening thud that filled the room. Once the ritually bound palms of Ishida Ryuuken were finally set free, gravity took over. The dead weight of the Quincy's body dropped gawkishly to the floor.

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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**This story will be renamed within the next few chapters to, Drawn to the Rhythm.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Bleach and I am not making any money off of it. Some other lucky bastard is!

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**Author's Note(s)**

**Per my beta's suggestion, which is a good one… all major titles and such will now be italicized, i.e. The **_**Heart, Raien Rite of Purity, The Twins Eternal**_**…. Etc.**

**YAY Beta Kittychan warm fuzzies!**

**This chapter is out right now (as opposed to much later) because of Moonlit Water Sunny River. Arigato.**

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**Chapter Edit History**

Nothing yet but I am posting this at 4AM without beta feedback so I am certain there will be edits later.

09-09-2008 Minor edits and first portion of beta feedback added, the rest of the beta revised version will be posted soon.

09-14-2008 Al beta edits have been entered.

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**Chapter Summary**

The Ritual of Truths is over. Uryuu deals with some unresolved father issues. The twins are apparently very close and comfortable with one another. The term 'party trick' is used improperly. Tatsuki has a surprisingly dangerous background, Chizuru seems to be recovering some repressed memories, Arisawa Shiori's true identity is revealed even though she remains clueless, it's finally time for an explanation for what really happened that night Orihime woke up and Uryuu's reiatsu flared, the events that occurred on Las Noches are also finally tied into the rest of the story.

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**CHAPTER17**

…previously

(Narration)

_The love was always there, the good intent was always there, but Uryuu had realized that all the warmth his father ever had, all the warmth the man had ever felt, came from Shiori. Without Arisawa Shiori to hold his hand, nothing seemed colder than the man who raised him, Ishida Ryuuken. _

_Uryuu found that he could no longer hate his father with the same intensity as before. Instead his intense hatred was replaced with a desperate sense of pity and a raging anger._

(Orihime to Chizuru)

_Together they Shiori, Tatsuki, and Uryuu pieced themselves back together. In the process, the twins gained her power. The combined powers of the prodigal Quincy and the Raien Elite would be enough to create Ishida Souken's ideal Exalted Quincy. But something else happened, something that could never be planned, something that made them far more special and powerful than a simple Exalted Quincy."_

"_As a result of the trauma and the measures which were taken to avoid certain disaster, Ury-kun and Tatsuki-chan somehow changed themselves. They somehow transformed themselves in a way that made them independent of everything. They became neutral, able to exist in a state of complete stability under any circumstance."_

(Orihime's thoughts)

'_I am everything that is in this Universe, but I made a horrible mistake.' Orihime thought to herself. Though her face betrayed nothing, she was racked with immeasurable amounts of shame and guilt. _

'_I love everyone. I love everything. How could I not?' Sadness weighed heavily on her chest. If Orihime's thoughts could be read, there would be only one thing that would make her words scary - they were the literal truth, pure and simple. 'I am everyone, I am everything. Without a Heart everything will perish.' _

(Narration)

_In an instant the atmosphere changed. It seemed the ceremony had ended just as abruptly as it had begun. In that moment only one man held the spotlight. Everyone's eyes turned to follow the sickening thud that filled the room. Once the ritually bound palms of Ishida Ryuuken were finally set free, gravity took over. The dead weight of the Quincy's body dropped gawkishly to the floor. _

…and now

"ARGHHHH!" Uryuu glared daggers at his father's dead body as he aggravatingly clenched his teeth in an attempt to hold back the flood of emotions brewing within.

"YOU BASTARD!" roared the youngest Quincy. Uryuu's restraint was failing.

Everyone in the room could see it, even the silent plus in the corner whom only Shiori, Tatsuki, and Renji seemed to notice.

Everything in the room seemed to disappear for Uryuu, everything but the lifeless body of the most honorable, loyal, arrogant, and stubborn jerk he'd ever known. Tears continued to well up in his eyes. One thought cycled endlessly through his mind, _'Everything turned out all wrong, but for all the right reasons!' _

The last time Uryuu cried he was a still small boy. Since then he'd just hardened. He cast aside his own emotions, forsaking personal attachment with others in favor of solitude, academic excellence, and Quincy merit. A childhood without play, a boy without friends, and a single proud Quincy without a clan, even if Uryuu worked hard there was no one around to validate his worth or to recognize his hard work other than his equally cold and detached father. A father whose favor and acceptance he never seemed to win. That's why it was just easier to give up on the one thing he felt powerless to control - the way he felt inside. It was just easier to excel in everything else and ignore the parts that felt, but now there was Orihime. Now he wanted to feel. And, like everything else, the Law of Opposites applied. There was no joy without sorrow, and Uryuu must open himself to both, otherwise there was no escaping the void he'd been cowering behind for so long. Love can't exist in a void.

Less than a week ago, in a small room at the Urahara Shop, the girl he loved finally woke up after having lived through _his_ worst nightmare. There is no greater agony than the kind resulting from the pain inflicted upon the ones you love most. On that day, in the presence of a hurt and disoriented Orihime, Uryuu's feelings finally erupted, overcoming the void he'd worked so hard hide behind.

During that brief time when his reiatsu poured out, Uryuu had dropped every defense mechanism he had. His feelings, his true nature, and the truth of his unique neutral existence were completely exposed to the girl he loved, the vesselled form of _God's Right Hand_… _The Heart of the Universe_… Inoue Orihime.

For Orihime, Ishida-kun was always a cute and talented boy, an honorable boy, and a dependable friend who went out of his way to keep his distance from everyone. She had no idea how he felt about her, and she wasn't the type that walked around believing people had secret crushes on her. Aside from that, Orihime only had eyes for Ichigo then.

Inoue Orihime wanted the same for Ishida Uryuu as she as she did for everyone else. She wanted him to smile and be happy. In Orihime's heart, she wished for Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, Keigo-kun, Renji-kun and everyone else to find love and to always have good food to eat. Ishida-kun was a precious friend to Inoue Orihime, and that's all that he was to her.

On that fateful night when Uryuu stood watch over Orihime's sleeping body, while absent mindedly scrambling amidst the books and papers that surrounded him in search of a supposed renegade highlighter, everything changed. Not just for him, not just for her, but that night was the beginning of many new things.

At that time, Uryuu had no way of knowing the truths of his or Orihime's lives. At that time, his father was an ass, his sensei was cherished, his mother was dead, he was an only child, he was the last Quincy, and even though he was powerful, he certainly had his limits.

Everything changed that night because Ishida Uryuu had reached his limit. For a brief moment he broke the seal on his self contained void.

During that reiatsu flare Orihime felt certain that Ishida-kun was the answer to everything she wanted and the single thing she desperately needed the most, even though she had no idea what that was or why.

Just like Uryuu, Orihime was oblivious to the truth of who she was at that time. However, the fractured diety buried deep within her subconscious understood everything and took immediate action. It understood that the boy, this unexpected an amazing natural anomaly, was a permanent solution to something that had gone horribly wrong. When _The Heart _had discovered the truth of Ishida Uryuu, it placed a piece of itself within him, the most important piece.

Behind Ishida Uryuu's eyes was the _Pulse of The Heart_, the rhythm of the universe. Like a magnificent lighthouse, the _Pulse_ endlessly called out to guide the flow of all energy in Orihime's vast and beautiful universe.

And now, just like that fateful night which happened earlier this week, Ishida Uryuu would choose to feel. He knew it was simply wrong to try and deny balance. Nothing good could come from it. The true dichotomy of balance demanded equal passion for both the happy times and the sad. And, because Uryuu wanted to experience what it felt like to feel, to love and to be loved by his Hime-chan he would finally stop cowering from his original bane, his father.

'_Everything turned out all wrong, but for all the right reasons!' _Uryuu's hands were curled into fists so tight his knuckles were white. Those words, the truth of Ishida Ryuuken's life, and the kind of man his father really was, and the possibilities of a happier life that might have been with a mother and a sister… everything; it all relentlessly assaulted his thoughts. The pressure building in his head was so great the tormented Quincy was certain his skull would crack open any minute.

The Ritual of Truths had ended just seconds ago. The burn marks branded into Ryuuken's palms were nothing short of a Quincy stigmata, and five sets of eyes flew open in complete shock as they watched the aged, boxed up, and denied feelings Uryuu had for his father finally overflow. In one swift kick, in an act completely uncharacteristic of the typically reserved Quincy who had a particular distaste for excessively barbaric acts of violence, Uryuu sent the martyred corpse of his father clearly through the wall that separated the living and the bathroom.

"BAKA!" Uryuu shouted at the body buried beneath the rubble. "Everything turned out all wrong, but for all the right reasons! You should have just listened to your wife!" He took a deep breath before contemplatively closing his eyes and pushing his glasses up, a failed attempt to get a grip on himself.

"We all suffered. You took away my mother and my sister!" Even though Uryuu's anger could no longer be seen, there was no denying the hurt tone of his voice.

Starring at the floor, Uryuu's face softened as he slowly turned his back on his father's body before speaking softly toward the ground, "Still, baka of a father," his voice held a definite hint of sarcasm, "things could have been worse. There's no telling how many people would be dead if Tatsuki and I had awoken sooner and under the influence of someone with selfish intensions. " His voice cracked, "someone like sensei." Uryuu felt sick. _'Someone like sensei who'd use us' _he thought to himself.

"You hated me that much boy?" said the plus quietly watching in the corner, inwardly amused with the drama.

'_That voice!'_ Chizuru jumped back on reflex and met Renji's solid chest. "But h... he's dead!" she mumbled quietly to the Shinigami.

Careful not to disturb the fragile environment, Renji leaned in closer and spoke quietly. "Hai, Tatsuki told you about this stuff, right?"

A tentative nod and a fumbled facial expression were Chizuru's only responses.

Chizuru's reaction was entertaining. If the atmosphere weren't so serious Renji would have laughed. _'Her girlfriend's dead father is the first plus she sees.' _

Renji glanced around the room and thought about the kinds of people Uryuu and Orihime always hung out with. _'Oh yeah, this is probably a good thing. Seriously, anyone hanging out with this bunch of spirit world junkies should able to see spirits or they'd just get left out.' _he thought.

'_That voice!'_ Uryuu's face tensed up in an expression of annoyance and aggravation. Even without looking he knew who that voice belonged to.

"That's right; it was stupid of me to think you were gone just yet." Uryuu's locked eyes with an identical pair and barked, "Abarai! Don't you have something to do? "

Uryuu turned his gaze on the offending Shinigami. "If you won't do it I'll play Shinigami and do it myself."

Uryuu's barking knocked Renji from his thoughts._ 'Geez, after all that he's still an ass. Huh? Wait, what does he mean do it himself?...Play Shinigami, what the fuck does he think we are!?'_ Renji puffed his chest, _'arrogant Quincy, watch it, you're pissing me off.'_

Renji calmed himself enough to reply cordially though his tone held a slight hiss. "Hoy Ishida, there's nothing I can do, I can't perform the soul burial. Look at him, his spirit is earthbound. No soul burial for the guy until he deals with his regrets. Sorry man, that's how it is. You know the rules."

"Is that so Abarai? I'll manage fine on my own then." Uryuu's stoic mask had returned, but before he got even two steps closer to his father's ghost something paralyzed him from the waist down.

Now that the _Ritual of Truths_ had been completed, both Tatsuki and Uryuu understood perfectly well what they really were and what sorts of things the full scope of their power permitted them to do. The power of _The Twins Eternal_ was quite literally boundless. There were no magic wands, silly incantations, or vexing hand gestures required, like willing yourself to wiggle a finger; their power was just a part of what they were. It was tied only to their conscious existence, an existence which could not ever be erased nor challenged. Even those as powerful as _The Hearts_, the builders of universes, could be at their mercy.

To put it mildly, such encompassing power without any outside force to keep it in check was unfathomably dangerous. If either Tatsuki or Uryuu ever chose to use their powers irresponsibly, and without full consideration of the consequences, they could easily be a threat to everything they held dear and everything Orihime had created. Needless to say, something as trivial as a soul burial was a simple task for either of the twins to do. For that matter, anything a Shinigami could do was negligible for either one of them.

Even before the twins were born, Ishida Ryuuken and Arisawa Shiori understood the potential power their children harbored and how dangerous such a creature could be. Unlike _The First_, their children would be sentient creatures, thus they would be susceptible to influences that _The First_ did not have to deal with, and as a result their actions would always be influenced by their feelings. As parents, their responsibility to set the foundations to properly shape the hearts and the minds of the twins was truly enormous.

"You didn't learn anything did you?" Tatsuki's voice rang clear as a bell through Uryuu's head.

The myraid of emotions just kept coursing through Uryuu. Those words were all his sister had to say to make him feel shame for once again acting like a self-centered child. But it still wasn't enough to curb his impulse to do something.

Tatsuki knew Uryuu was confused. She felt bad for her little brother, she knew he could deal with a lot of things but what he was going through right now was the very type of thing he'd spent his life trying to avoid. She knew he didn't know how to deal with the onslaught of powerful and conflicting emotions he was feeling. Still, it wasn't an excuse for acting with foolish haste.

Tatsuki knew the paralysis she put on her brother was a joke. It was like wrapping a lion in a straightjacket made of cotton candy, but it was just intended as something simple to get his attention. She would do what she could to keep him from making a mistake, but in the end she would always support his decision. Still, she didn't want him to act on an anger driven impulse and do something he might regret later.

'_If he does this, it will be even worse than what I did three years ago.' _Tatsuki understood what horrible consequences could come from acting on an angry impulse. Less than a minute of action had caused a lot of trouble for many people, and a lifetime of suffering and loss for others. The ripple effect of her momentary act stretched far.

"This isn't the same Tatsuki!" Uryuu growled as he intruded on his sister's thoughts. "I can't hurt Ryuuken, he's already dead!" Anger and confusion warred inside Uryuu, each one fighting to prevail. It was unclear which emotion would dominate the young Quincy from one moment to the next. "I… I, just want him to go away, I don't want to see him right now. I don't know how to face him. I want to beat him, just once! I want to know why he has a picture of me in his wallet. No, that's not it… I know why, but I want him to say it. The _Ritual_, I know why but I want him to say it…. I think. Maybe I just want to hurt him, I don't know."

"It's not all different, my past and your present. The basic elements are all the same but the situation's just different." Tatsuki replied. "Still, those guys deserved it and if I didn't have to worry about how others would be affected, I'd finish what I started three years ago."

The anger and stern conviction Uryuu heard in her voice was undeniable. He had no doubt his sister meant what she said. Tatsuki clearly wanted to finish delivering her own fatal swift justice, but three years later something still held her back.

Steering the topic back on course, Tatsuki continued, "But, aside from not being an affectionate father, Dad never really did anything wrong, everything he did was for his family, and you really didn't turn out so bad yourself so he must have done something right. He actually took care of us the best way he could, even though we didn't know till now. Do you think he really deserves what you were about to do?" She paused for a moment, "And Mom too, does she deserve to suffer for what you want to do to the man she loves?"

With this, Uryuu had finally settled down enough to think a little.

There was a reason Shinigami did not have the power to perform the soul burial ritual on an Earthbound soul like Ishida Ryuuken, a soul full of regret. The Soul Society was a place where all souls were supposed to be re-born pure. Like many other things, this was just a process, part of a larger cycle to ensure balance. To perform a soul burial ritual on an unfit soul would only guarantee a perpetual state of suffering, discontent, and unrest for the trespassing soul. Souls who skipped past the rules and crossed over prematurely only carried their regrets with them. In the afterlife, the effects of the regrets were greatly amplified. The extensive life span during the afterlife only served to make the suffering even worse.

Any individual suffering such painful discord was bound to wreak havoc on his surroundings. In the end, the trespassing soul would most likely be scorned then given a publically humiliating execution or simply just locked away and forgotten. The misplaced soul might be sentenced to wallow in treacherous solitude. In that case, the torment of regret would be the soul's only companion during the painful descent into madness.

For Uryuu to selfishly perform the burial rite without considering the consequences of his actions would only bring suffering and discontent. Committing such an act would cause a minor disruption in the delicate balance of nature that Orihime had forged ages ago and worked endlessly to maintain. In addition, he would be condemning his father to a fate even crueler than the life of sacrifice, loss, and betrayal he'd already lived. And his mother, despite her constant warmth and smile, he knew that she always hid her pain. If he went through with his original plan, Uryuu undoubtedly knew that he would bring her even greater unhappiness and suffering.

'_Shiori-san, Hime-chan, Tatsuki… I can't even bear the thought of being the reason for their pain. I'd rather suffer myself than hurt them.'_ Uryuu thought.

"Are you really that angry Little Brother? I won't try and stop you if this is what you want." Tatsuki spoke silently to her brother. She knew his feelings were just overwhelming his ability to think clearly. They were both hot blooded like that. If he'd calm down a bit more he'd be ok.

"I don't know." Was Uryuu's confused and dejected reply. "Why can I handle everything else except finding out that he loved me and actually did things to protect me? It would have been easier if I didn't know about his life."

"When you put it that way you just sound like a coward who's happy to live with lies. Everyone knows that's not the kind of brat you are." Tatsuki couldn't help but crack a smile as she watched her brother's eye twitch involuntarily while she delivered her back handed taunts.

'_Little brother, coward, brat, handy crafts king, sex pistol… what the hell else is she going to call me?'_ Uryuu thought. He was completely unaware that his desire to pound his sister into the ground for teasing him had momentarily distracted him from his present situation.

Tatsuki continued, "You're more of a tsundere kind of brat, you know, the kind that's combative and difficult to deal with but who's really modest and kind hearted." Tatsuki was pleased with herself, 'tsundere' seemed the perfect one word description to describe her brother.

Having delivered the final teasing blow of 'tsundere', the tone of Tatsuki's voice shifted to a more serious direction. "Besides, you just said it yourself, Mom and Dad did everything for all the right reasons, they sacrificed a lot for both our sakes and in the end you know things could have been worse. So if right now, at this very moment, you think that your pain is worse than what they went through for us, then I'll leave you alone and let you do whatever you want. I'll even help."

'_They're talking to each other… without talking?'_ Chizuru wondered_. 'They have to be, just like Orihime was talking to me a minute ago.'_ She could see the concern through the creases in Tatsuki's face and she watched as stoic handy crafts king seemingly struggle with an internal battle of sorts. What they were talking about though, she had no idea.

'_I've never seen her look like that before. She's so serious and concerned.'_ Then, out of nowhere, a sharp pain pierced through her head. It disappeared just as quickly as it had come. Cloudy images of a very worried younger spikey haired goddess hovered over her. The image was blurred and distorted as if consumed in a powerful drug induced haze._ 'What the hell was that? Was…' _An unpleasant chill ran down her spine, _'It… it felt like a… memory?'_

'_Whatever, I'll deal with that later.'_ resolved Chizuru as she carefully studied both of the silent the siblings, _'Weird, they seem really close all of a sudden.'_

Uryuu straightened his posture and just looked at his sister blankly, all anger drained from his face. When he thought about her last words, _'my pain… worse than what they went through'_ he really was disgusted at just how much like a spoiled child he was acting.

"You're my twin Uryuu, the one I love most, the one who understands me best. So do whatever you want, and I will hold the consequences of your actions with you, equally," said Tatsuki.

'_Consequences of my actions? I really was about to do something really bad without thinking of anyone else.'_ Uryuu thought.

"Mom never yells at me for the things I do, no matter how bad they are. Even with what happened three years ago. Really, it'd be easier if she just yelled and acted like other parents. Instead, she's like some freak master manipulator specializing in guilt. Anyway, Mom made sure I faced the consequences of what I did. Honestly, going to jail would have been easier to deal with, and apparently Dad took care of a lot of things I didn't know about till today. He kept the whole thing from being aired publically; I didn't miss any school; he fixed it so I didn't have a record; and he even kept me from having to show up in court. They were both around helping in their own ways. Dad is more of an elusive behind the scenes, strategic, plotting and string pulling kinda guy. I didn't see him when I was growing up, but apparently the guy was all over my life. And Mom, Mom is just the opposite. She'll throw you in the middle of the fire so you can't run away from anything. Like how she always tells me that 'right', 'wrong', 'good', and 'bad' were just things people came up with to justify the consequences of what they did. She says we should always choose to do whatever we can to keeps things moving forward, and to cause the least amount of unwanted disruption in the process. She says, even if the unhappiness falls on you…"

"…you'll never feel shame or the need to hide from the choices you make," said both Tatsuki and Uryuu as they recalled their mother's words.

In many ways, Uryuu was grateful for the _Ritual_. Even though he'd been apart from his mother for 15 years, he now knew everything Tatsuki and Ryuuken knew about her. He'd heard all of her motherly lessons.

It was true; Shiori was definitely not a normal parent. She never raised her voice nor told Tatsuki or their older brother Ryuu that they were right or wrong. Every lesson she'd tried to teach always seemed to be about consequences, responsibility, and balance. She taught by forcing self reflection and independent thought. Through those lessons, Tatsuki and Ryuu both had a well developed conscience, a firm sense of integrity, could think for themselves, and could decide on their own.

The more docile child, Ryuu, seemed to take to the lessons a little easier than the hot-blooded Tatsuki who often had difficulty with self restraint when certain situations arose. Uryuu wondered if he would have developed as easily as his brother had or if he would have struggled with some of Shiori's lessons like his sister. Either way, his mother's lessons were now a part of him, and Uryuu could easily see the value of the things she taught. He decided now was as good a time as any to find out what his learning curve was compared to his brother and sister.

"I still want him to go away, but I won't do anything to make it worse. I get it now. Just because I can perform a soul burial doesn't mean I should. So I'll just leave the little Shinigami tricks to the Shinigami then. We've got our own kind of tricks anyway," Uryuu said confidently to his sister.

'_He's sounding more like himself now.'_ Tatsuki gave her brother a taunting "there there, aren't you a good little boy" kind of smile. She laughed lightly when his eye twitched once again signaling his annoyed reaction to her teasing. _'He's gonna be so much fun to pick on!'_

"Hey," Uryuu called silently to his sister. "Before I deal with him, there's something you should know too." The young Quincy stood proudly with confidence. He spoke with sincerity, "You're my twin Tatsuki, the only one by my side for eternity, the one I love most, the one who understands me best. So you also do whatever you want, and I too will hold the consequences of your actions with you, equally." Each word flowed from him as though they were an oath as sacred and dear to him as his own Quincy pride.

Uryuu paused and briefly reflected on the weird events of this past week and how much his life had changed in just a few short days. He had his Hime-chan and now he had his sister, he was definitely no longer alone. "I'll start with sharing the consequences that came with the boy you killed three years ago. Because of what happened to Orihime, I understand. "

Uryuu toppled over slightly. He didn't expect Tatsuki to lunge at him, but her hug felt nice. He could feel the happiness and warmth that radiated off her body. It felt like something important had finally fallen into place. Holding his twin felt natural. With her there were no walls, there was no deceit, and nothing to hide. For the first time in his life, he felt completely exposed and it didn't bother him at all.

For Tatsuki it was the same. There was a special kind of happiness that only he could give her. However, her basking was cut short by an unexpected turn of events.

'_Oh I'm never going to let him live this one down. Ever! Honestly, I am glad I got to be the girl. Boys bodies really have no sense for the moment!' _The evil twin taunting gears in Tatsuki's head started to plot.

"Uh…hey Little Brother," Tatsuki said trying desperately to hold back the laughter that was building inside.

Tatsuki decided she'd at least do what she could to spare her brother an embarrassing moment by shielding him from the prying eyes of onlookers. Apparently this hug would last a little longer than she'd originally planned. "It's not polite to pitch your tent in front of an audience." She felt his body stiffen against hers instantly in reaction. The heat of embarrassment began to ebb off him in waves.

'_What the….? Damn you! EVERYONE'S WATCHING US_ .' Uryuu's external composure remained calm even though the gravity of his current problem was causing him to freak out. Like everyone else, in the privacy of his own mind he had a completely different personality separate from what others saw.

Uryuu felt the need to cry again, but he had absolutely no intention of actually doing it. And, just as he had done so many times in the past, he silently cursed his testosterone crazed teenaged body and tried to will Orihime's little Quincy back into hiding.

It really didn't bother Tatsuki at all that being with her did this to him. Nothing about her twin was unwelcomed or uncomfortable, but she still pitied the poor boy for having to suffer through the moment. She couldn't possibly imagine this happening to him at a more embarrassing time.

'_Get back! You come out for Orihime only! Noooo, that's NOT Orihime! Not Orihime, not Orihime, not Orihime... GAH! You have no sense of timing! Just go away…. Not Orihime, not Orihime, not Orihime! NOOOOOO! No, no, no, I said get back, not get bigger!'_ Uryuu begged and pleaded with his lower half, who'd never reacted to anyone other than Orihime, until he realized that thinking of Orihime was only making it worse. He mentally chastised the trigger happy appendage for not being able to appropriately gauge the seriousness of the moment.

As if the situation weren't already funny enough, Tatsuki's ability to hear everything her brother thought pushed the entertainment value to a whole new level. The absurdity of this situation was so ripe it would have been a complete waste if she didn't try and take advantage of it. Mortal or eternal, this was a once in a lifetime setup.

With insidious intent, Tatsuki focused all her will power into not laughing as she ground her body subtly against his. She intentionally coaxed her brother's arousal just enough to provoke him to the next level of frustration.

Uryuu vehemently cursed his sister, her perverted nature, and her wily perspective on what was considered fun. As far as he was concerned, this was the meanest thing anyone had ever done to him. Though he cursed her deft movements, he was grateful for the skill of her technique which was so properly executed that the entire predicament continued to remain unrecognized by their audience.

"I have to check with Chizzy first Little Brother, but I'm pretty sure she'll be fine with it if it's you." She said with a seductive tease. The taunt was laced with a straggling whimper that escaped the girl's forcibly concealed laughter.

"Chizzy's got a twincest fetish too, so I'm pretty sure she'll go for this." The spikey haired instigator continued to prod in her quest to milk the moment for everything she could.

Tatsuki's body began to tremble. She sucked in both her lips and buried her face in the juncture of her brother's neck. There was so much more that she wanted to say but it took everything she had just to keep from laughing.

Uryuu's situation wasn't improving. In fact, in was quite the opposite. Orihime's little Quincy seemed enormously happy at the prospect of meeting his twin's parts.

Uryuu felt his sister's resolve weaken even more. _'Damn hentai! She's nothing but trouble! If she can't get a grip on herself everyone will see me like this! Why the hell couldn't she be a good girl, like Ori…._' It was pointless to finish that thought. Orihime wasn't a good girl either. _'GAH!'_

'_Gah, HENTAIS,'_ Uryuu screamed to himself. _'I'm surrounded by gorgeous hentais!'_ All of them, his mother, his sister, his girlfriend, and his sister's girlfriend, he had no choice but to think of his father and hope those thoughts calmed him down before they made him sick. His inner self was one wicked thought away from a torrential nosebleed.

Uryuu decided to pull his sister in even tighter, a doubled effort to hide himself from the audience as well as an attempt to try and keep her from snapping. He foolishly buried his face in her black spikey mane to hide the crimson flush that covered it. Her comforting and familiar scent combined with the softness of her hair quickly made Uryuu realize that his choice of hiding places was not the best idea. Not even close!

"I hate you!" Uryuu's thoughts declared sternly. His tone dripped with annoyance and frustration.

Tatsuki's dam was so close to breaking. She'd never wanted to laugh so hard in her life. "Yeah-yeah, I can tell," Tatsuki retorted with an audible snicker that also slipped past her defenses. "Apparently you hate me a lotttt!" she replied.

"I'll get you back for this someday!" Uryuu hissed.

"I'm counting on that Little Brother." Tatsuki snickered while digging her fingers into his side, grappling for just a little more control.

Despite the chaos of arousal, embarrassment, and laughter that ensued the _Twins Eternal_, to the onlookers it seemed as though they were just having a particularly tender moment embracing and consoling one another. They couldn't have been more wrong.

"Not so 'little' are you brother?" Tatsuki couldn't resist the word play. She had also reached her limit.

In one carefully executed move, Tatsuki pushed her brother away, and swiftly sent him face to face in Orihime's direction. After all, the boy and his happy tool were Orihime's toys so Orihime should be the one to take care of them not her.

As soon as Tatsuki freed herself from her brother's embrace she inappropriately dropped to the floor in a roaring fit of tears and laughter. She could still hear Uryuu's curses flying at her.

The blush on Uryuu's face heightened three shades deeper when he slammed into his girlfriend, and another two shades when the look on her face told him she finally understood why Tatsuki was laughing so hard. The blushing boy was grateful when his Hime-chan wrapped her arms around his body and placed her head on his chest.

Orihime was happy to act as Uryuu's shield. She would keep her eager little Quincy from being noticed by the others until her big Quincy could regain enough composure to send the little guy back home. Still, she loved the feeling of her little Quincy being pressed against her. She had to fight back the urge to reach out and take care of him herself. The only thing holding her back was the audience.

For the sake of his own sanity, Uryuu chose to momentarily ignore everything around him but the girl in his arms. With an audible sigh of relief, he returned her embrace. "Hime-chan… please don't ever leave me alone with my sister," he said half jokingly.

Orihime smiled against him. She knew he was kidding. "But Ury-kun's so cute when he plays with Tatsuki-chan," she teased as she tightened her hug around his body and tilted her head back to search his face.

'_Ury-kun is different now'_ she thought. The faint scowl he always wore and the perpetually pensive look he'd always had in eyes had disappeared. The changes were subtle, and to others who didn't know him as well he still looked mean and grouchy. But to Orihime he was even more beautiful than he was before. He looked like he'd finally found some measure of peace and contentment, something that came from within, something that wasn't dependent upon her presence nor anyone else's.

Orihime tried her best not to cry, but she was so happy, so relieved to see him this way. She loved her special boy so much. She always swore she'd do her best, everyday, to make him smile. She felt sad that he'd held in so many unhappy things and carried around so much pain. But, even if everything around them disappeared and it was just the two of them living in some paradise she knew that there was only so much happiness she alone could bring him. Happiness came from many places, but all happiness starts with the changes that are made from within.

"Hime-chan?" Uryuu said as he wiped her tears away softly with the backs of his fingers. "You have the cutest face right now and these…?" He held up a finger with a lone salty tear. It was true, he was completely captivated. His Hime-chan had never looked so cute before.

"Orihime?" Uryuu didn't know why she was crying, but he knew it wasn't bad. He really just wanted to pick her up and carry her off somewhere to hide her from the rest of the world so he could selfishly preserve and covet this unprecedented display of cuteness. He never wanted it to end.

Orihime's gentle smile broadened a bit right before she hopped up to give him a quick kiss. "Ury-kun, you're all better now. Your Dad's waiting." She laughed lightly at the winced expression and slight blush that garnished his face when his mind had finally re-synched with reality.

'_That's right, Tatsuki and I just killed our father, made our mother a widow, and not even fifteen minutes ago I sent his body through the wall before I got a hard on from hugging my sister.'_ Uryuu shook his head lightly and sighed. Part of him really just wanted to sit down and do his homework like he typically did every Sunday.

It was clear to everyone that Uryuu's rage had dissipated. He now stood confidently in the center of the room, a perfect picture of the proud and reserved Quincy everyone knew him to be.

"Abarai, I'll leave the soul burials to the Shinigami." Uryuu said respectfully while slightly bowing forward.

Renji simply nodded in response. He took the simple sentiment of apology for what it was worth.

"But, I'll take care of the regrets," Uryuu said while he carefully studied everyone in the room. When he met Orihime's eyes he softly smiled. Though it was true that it was his twin whom he loved the most, it was a different kind of love than what he felt for Orihime. _'Orihime,_' he thought to himself, _'I love you. I can't ever imagine not being with you. The only thing that could hurt more than not being with you would be to fail you. You are my one and only Shiori-san, like my mother to my father.'_

"You!" Uryuu swiftly turned to meet his Father's eyes. He still felt like a boy when he met his father's stern gaze head on, and everything about the past still hurt. But, thanks to Tatsuki, Uryuu was ready to take action in a way befitting of his mother's teachings. He would keep things moving forward with little disruption, and he would feel neither shame nor the need to hide from the consequences of his actions.

Curious as to the sudden change in his son, Ryuuken cocked and inquisitive eyebrow, and as always, refused to back down from anyone's glare.

"You've passed on Ryuuken. Your place is within the Soul Society not my living room," decreed Uryuu. "You cannot pass on because you carry regrets linked to others in this room so I'll have you take care of your regrets and then you'll have no reason to bother me again."

Uryuu knew this was just as much for his sake as his father's. He must handle this day properly to avoid cultivating new regrets for himself. "Your first regret is with me Ryuuken." There was no need to ask, both father and son knew it was the truth. The person that suffered most from Ryuuken's acts was Uryuu.

Holding his son's gaze, Ishida Ryuuken replied with an even and emotionless tone, "Yes, my first regret lies with you."

That alone was almost enough to cause Uryuu's composure to crumble. His father had verbally confessed to him and to everyone else important in his life that he had wronged his youngest son, and that his wrong doings weighed so heavily on his soul that it was one of the reasons he could not rest in peace.

Uryuu wasn't certain he could handle anything else from his father. His relationship with his Ryuuken was what it was. In many ways they were exactly alike, but not in all ways. Thus, Uryuu understood the gravity of his father's acknowledgement and required nothing else from him.

Uryuu would take it upon himself to address the rest of the regrets his father had for him. "Understand Ryuuken, I am grateful for the sentiment behind everything that you have done for me, but I am not you. I will not make the same mistakes that you made. I will stay by Orihime's side, and will do my best to be a worthy son to the woman you chose to as my mother."

For the first time in Uryuu's life, Ishida Ryuuken surrendered and broke eye contact first. With the utterance of those three sentences Ishida Uryuu had effectively eliminated the regret that his father carried for him.

Ishida Ryuuken did not want his son to be like him, but he did not know how to keep such a thing from happening. In truth, because of Uryuu's power, he did not know what kind of man Uryuu should be. He could not properly prepare his son for such an enormous responsibility. But Shiori, his wife who was both adored and feared by everyone, she would know what to do; how to properly raise their son.

Since he'd known her, even when she was five, Arisawa Shiori seemed to possess a peculiar outlook on life and have a unique understanding of things that always made him question her true origin. Ryuu and Tatsuki both flourished under her guidance. Ryuuken was certain Uryuu would too. That is why he decided that he wanted his son to be worthy of his wife. Frankly, he could care less if his children were worthy of him, he was nothing special. He was just the guy who was somehow lucky enough win Arisawa Shiori's heart.

Tatsuki smiled at her brother. He had made the right choice, one they could all live with. And taking advantage of the momentary pause that settled over the room, the spikey haired Quincy girl crept over to and whispered into her Pervy-chan's ear while gently taking her hand.

The red-head was so enraptured with the drama that she wasn't paying attention to Tatsuki at that moment. Although, things were quite different just a few minutes ago when Chizuru's anxiety was off the charts with concern for the other girl. But, her level of anxiety dropped substantially when she saw her strange bedmate rolling on the floor consumed in a fit of delirious laughter. At that point it seemed safe to assume Tatsuki was just fine.

The sudden break of stillness caused by Tatsuki's unanticipated presence caused Chizuru to jump lightly. The feel of Tatsuki's hand wrapping around her own, and the familiar warmth of her champion's breath on her ear felt wonderful. In Tatsuki's direct presence, Chizuru immediately began to feel more at ease with her surroundings.

"Hey Pervy-chan, wanna see something cool?" Tatsuki flashed the winning smile she reserved only for her green-eyed hentai. "Uryuu's gonna do a neat little party trick."

Suddenly, Shiori who'd been standing silently in the corner softly crying and watching over everyone else, stood still with a shocked expression. "Ken-kun…" she uttered softly in reflex. The plus, the spiritual remnants of her only love, were instantly split into small bits of pure energy. For a brief moment they seemed to gather and dance around her son. Then, without any sort of prelude, the energy disappeared into Uryuu's body like the last bit of milk sucked up through a straw.

With the exception of the knowing smile on Tatsuki's face, the rest of the room looked in utter disbelief as Uryuu faded away, and in his place was a much younger Ishida Ryuuken.

In the middle of the Uryuu's tiny living room stood the full-blooded Quincy prince himself. A twenty year old Ishida Ryuuken, the pride of the Quincy race, appeared looking just as he had on the day of his wedding.

'_This is what she calls a party trick?'_ thought Chizuru as she watched in amazement.

"Heh heh… You impressed Pervy-chan?" Tatsuki's voice echoed around silently, bouncing off the walls inside of the green-eyed hentai's mind.

It was Chizuru's turn to twitch. Violations of privacy were absolutely not permitted, and someone getting into your head, well, that was the epitome of privacy violations.

"Babe, for you I'll suffer through the impossible and unbelievable, but if you ever listen to my private thoughts again without permission, you'll remember what's it's like to be a virgin!" Chizuru quietly hissed.

The smug smile on Tatsuki's face morphed into an overly exaggerated expression of dread. "Uhh," Tatsuki said while nervously rubbing the back of her head. "That's not fair. Pervy-chan's too mean sometimes," she whispered with a pout.

A devious little glint shimmered in the corner of Chizuru's eye. She couldn't help but smile. Tatsuki really was a very-very bad girl in all the right ways, and a very good girl in all the other ways. Her spikey haired goddess didn't ever need to be told twice about anything that was important, and she always honored her word. Chizuru knew her private thoughts would remain private. This was just one of the things about Tatsuki that made her so special.

'_Honestly, it's too easy to get that girl to do what I want,'_ the red-head thought.

Despite everything that was happening around her, for the first time since last night, Chizuru finally felt like herself again. She turned and placed a soft kiss on her champ's cheek to reward her good behavior, to thank her, and to let her know everything was ok before her focus returned to the main attraction.

"This can't be real." said an uncharacteristically bewildered Ryuuken as he starred in disbelief at his hands and jumped slightly at the sound of his own voice. Not only was he alive again but time had turned back in his favor; he was young again.

The departed Quincy prince looked up at the only person in the room who would have an answer. "Tatsuki? What is this?"

"It's the only thing we can do to thank you." Tatsuki said to her father. "You can't move on because of your regrets, and you can face all of them right here. So, this is your time to say what needs to be said, your time to say goodbye to your family Dad… properly."

"It's all true then, my children really are level to _The First_." Ryuuken thought out loud.

Renji had to admit to himself that the power that allowed something like that to happen was certainly worth watching, but these were his friends and right now this was not his place. He quietly slipped out the front door and waited on the balcony, respectfully giving his friends and their unusually odd family the privacy they deserved.

Chizuru saw the hippie clad Shinigami slip out the front. She decided to follow his lead. She only took one step in before a very large and heavy hand fell on her shoulder. It was definitely not Tatsuki's hand. Feeling like a scared fish out of water, Chizuru slowly turned to meet the hand's owner.

"Your father and I were always in the same class growing up," said Ryuuken to Chizuru.

'_Damn, he's scary… very-very scary!'_ thought Chizuru.

Ishida Ryuuken continued, "Because my Shi-chan was five years younger than us, your father called me a lolicon… every day. I really wanted to break Sota's neck for that."

'_Honestly, what the hell do I say to that?'_ Chizuru felt like a defenseless and trapped animal. Even if she had a response, nothing would have come out.

Chizuru was relieved that she didn't have to say anything since Tatsuki's scary father continued talking. "But, he's a good man. Honshoo Sota was a good friend, and he was my groomsman the day I first wore this outfit."

Chizuru found that interesting. She liked the idea that she had some ties to Tatsuki that went that far back. But, although she was certain Tatsuki's scary father was making an exceptional effort to be friendly, she was still quite uncomfortable.

"Uhm ahh, I didn't know that," was the only thing Chizuru could think to say before her flight instinct kicked in. "I'm sorry Ishida-san, you should really be with your family. Please let me wait outside."

Ryuuken's hand dropped from her shoulder giving her the freedom she needed.

"Whichever side of the door you decide to stand on is your choice Honshoo Chizuru," Ryuuken said as he shifted his gaze back and forth between the two teenage girls that stood in front of him.

To Chizuru's surprise the man's voice softened considerably. "But, I would like to be able to support my daughter as only a father can, at least once before I go. I am not ill informed on the nature of your relationship." Ryuuken hesitated for a moment. "If anything I'd say I know more than any father would want to know about his daughter's private affairs. But, The _Ritual of Truths_ made me a part of Tatsuki's life, her acts, her thoughts, and feelings. Because I know Tatsuki as well as I do now, and through her I also know the kind of daughter my old friend Sota raised, I have no hesitation, as Tatsuki's father, in giving you my blessing to stay right where you are."

Chizuru watched Tatsuki's father as he turned his attention back on his daughter. This time, she really was speechless and frozen in place. A shiver ran down her spine, and she couldn't tell if it was the good kind or not.

Then, without warning, that same searing pain shot through her head again, only this time through the drug-like haze it was Ishida Ryuuken that she saw hovering over her and speaking incoherently while shining a tiny flashlight back and forth between her eyes. She felt as though everyone knew things about her, important things, that even she didn't know. It should have been wonderful to have his blessing, but it made absolutely no sense why he would do such a thing. And, just like before, the pain and the images disappeared just as quickly as they had descended.

"Tatsuki," Ryuuken said, "there is nothing I can tell you that you don't already know. The _Ritual of Truths_ has shown you everything."

"The _Ritual_ didn't give me everything," Tatsuki said as she wrapped her arms around her father. "Dad…" Tatsuki buried her face into his chest. She couldn't stop the tears from falling. It was the first time she'd hugged her father in 15 years. It would also be her last.

It was also the first time in 15 years that Ishida Ryuuken felt warmth pulsing through his veins. _'She looks just like Shi-chan did at that age,' _he thought.

He really did miss his family. His wife always used to tease him about how badly he spoiled his only daughter. Shiori told him one day that she was thankful for the nights she had to work late, because those were the nights she came home to find her precious family trying to wait up for her. And every time, without fail, she'd come home to find all three of them asleep in front of the TV. Tatsuki was always asleep on her father's chest, held securely in place by his giant hand with Uryuu nestled against his father's shoulder.

Ryuuken continued to make use of the final gift his children had given him. There were only two people that stood between him and his entry into the Soul Society, his wife and her true master.

Before the truths of the _Twins Eternal_ took his life, Ryuuken was fortunate or perhaps unfortunate enough to finally discover the truth about his precious wife. He had been right to question her origin. The body of Arisawa Shiori was nothing more than the same type of body that belonged to Inoue Orihime, a farce, a facade, a vessel. Yet his wife didn't have a clue.

If _The Hearts of the Universes_ were the right hands of God, his wife was _The Heart's_ most cherished handmaiden.

One didn't need to have any special abilities to notice the darkness that enveloped the departed Quincy when he locked eyes with the timid girl who had remained withdrawn and silent through most of the day's events.

For the first time in a very long time, Ryuuken's emotions bled through to the outside world. The man who was once as translucent as obsidian had suddenly become as transparent as quartz. He looked as tortured and torn as Uryuu had when the _Ritual_ ended. Anger, hurt, and confusion seeped out through every pore.

"You! I blame you, my wife's beloved _Heart_ for everything that has happened to me, both the good and the bad. I blame you for the burden of eternity that Tatsuki and Uryuu will suffer. Despite the similarities, they are _not_ like _your_ Master. They are sentient!" Ishida Ryuuken couldn't have stopped if tried.

The distraught Quincy could feel something horrible building inside of him; it was the truth of his one true regret. The single regret for which all other regrets followed, and this regret filled him with unbearable shame. His one true regret was both the reason his heart had flourished and grown cold. His one true regret was the very existence of his only true happiness.

"Your little sabbatical as a vessel has sentenced them to burdens no sentient should ever have to bear. It's unnatural to forever feel everything but never be able to find peace through rest," Ryuuken said as the weight of his truest regret grew so heavily inside him that he dropped unceremoniously to his hands and knees.

Ishida Ryuuken blamed _The Heart_ for causing his one true regret.

Tears strew down Orihime's face. Everything he said was true, and she'd already blamed herself for it all, long before this day.

_The Heart_ and those who served her had been taking the forms of various vessels throughout her domain since before the dawn of Earth, but this time she was careless. This time she'd failed to make sure the necessary checks and balances were in place before entering a vessel. The necessary checks and balances allowed _The Heart_ to safely take the form of a vessel without jeopardizing her primary task of keeping the energy of the universe balanced. Simply put these checks and balances to make sure that order was maintained while _The Heart_ took sabbatical as a vessel was roughly the same thing as people making sure their mail and pets are taken care of before they go on long vacations.

But, never once, in all of the times that she had chosen to be a vessel, did she close off so much of her true identity from the vesselled form. This time around, _The Heart_ wanted to experience as much as she humanly could as the human vessel Inoue Orihime. Thus, the less Inoue Orihime knew, the more enriching the experience.

And, never once, in all of the times that she'd chosen to be a vessel did she allow her chief handmaiden, the one who'd normally watched over things in her absence, to do the exact same thing she did.

Ishida Ryuuken had correctly determined his beloved wife's true origin. Arisawa Shiori was _The Heart's_ chief handmaiden. When he had figured that out, it suddenly made much more sense why nature's most profound anomalies were created the day Shiori finally mastered the _Raien Rite of Purity_, otherwise known as taking her true form.

With no one properly watching over _The Heart's_ domain and with the vessel being so far detached from her true form, the traumatizing course of events that Orihime suffered in Las Noches had effectively caused enough damage to render the sleeping _Heart_ unstable. The balance of the universe had been disrupted, and the one person responsible for it all was unable to set things right.

Ishida Ryuuken, the pinnacle pureblooded prince of the Quincy race hung his head shamefully. Out of the corner of his tear filled eye he could see his wife. He could tell he was hurting her, he knew she wanted to rush over to his side. She loved him. Every contour of her face and every restrained movement of her body told him that her heart belong to only him, just as much as he belonged to her.

Watching her was too painful. Instead, he chose to watch his falling tears disappear into the soft fabric of the rug beneath him.

Orihime knelt to sit on the floor besides him. She had done this to him, she had done this to all of them.

Like a timid child reaching out to touch a the face of a fragile newborn baby, Orihime placed her hands on either side the once proud Quincy's face, lifting it carefully till their tear stained eyes met once again.

"Why Kami-sama… why did I have to meet my wife? Of all the possible ways things could have gone, of all the possible husbands she could have chosen, why did she have to love me? Why did you let her find me? There is no one else that could cause her so much pain… because there is no one but me who was strong enough to bring her children like ours." Ryuuken was finally able to say it out loud. His greatest regret was also the source of his only true happiness.

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**END OF CHAPTER, not the end of the story**

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**This story will be renamed now to, Drawn to the Rhythm.**


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